The Ink That Bleeds Through
by NewMoonFlicker
Summary: These are the untold moments, the withheld memories, the unsung events; what history books may never tell, but what the ink in their souls bled through sharp enough to reveal hints of. Allen&Lavi -co-ath'd with Road of Ruin-
1. In The Beginning

_This is the first installment of a project my dear friend Krisy (who goes by demonwings737 around here :P) and I started months ago out of suffering several bouts of writer's block – the idea is for one person to provide a prompt word (any and every kind of word, whatever comes to mind) and the other will write a one-sentence "story" of sorts for it over phone texting. We started out writing them for a mutual duo we both adore quite a lot, and as it all developed and progressed, turned into quite the character study! It's funny – the further along we get, the longer our answers are. :D I finally typed up the latest of them, stared at the 27-ish pages we've got and looked over at Krisy... "... You mind if I start posting these?" – "Go for it. ^^"_

_Manga/Anime: DGM_

_Character Focus: Allen Walker and Lavi Bookman (with appearances of the rest of the DGM crew)_

_~ This is rather amusing when you think about it, as she is a fan of the couple and I a fan of the friendship, but somehow we managed to write a good enough balance between the two that made us both happy. ^^ So, these can be read however you want to see them, if you so wish, there is plenty of a variety between angsty, sweet, intense, and quiet moments that fans of either side of the fandom can enjoy them all – I'd actually like to see if anyone is willing to guess who wrote which. :3_

_Rating: T (for language, angst, and some blood/intense situations)_

_Summary: These are the untold moments, the withheld memories, the unsung events; what history books may never tell, but what the ink on their souls has now bled through sharp enough to reveal hints of. Allen&Lavi (co-ath'd with demonwings737) _

O~o~o~o~O

**Legends:** Though at times it didn't seem like it, Allen knew, as he wiped his sweaty brow with a trembling, bloodied hand, the last of the akuma falling to the ripped ground at his and Lavi's feet – "Whoa Allen, did you see how ugly that bastard was?" – they were destined to be legends.

**Scribbles:** It really was amusing, Lavi mused with a grin, that for all Allen's cunning and strength, how deeply he could sleep; enough that his best friend could depict a wide assortment of scribbles all over his face without so much of a twitch to ruin the ink.

**Brother:** It was times like this, when Lavi had him pinned to the floor, laughing heartily as he tickled him mercilessly, that Allen truly believed with all his heart Lavi was the big brother he had claimed himself to be and smiled in spite himself, as he allowed the familial abuse for a moment longer than necessary before launching his counter-attack.

**Waltz:** _The Waltz_, Allen thought with a sigh and endured Lavi adjusting his poor stance yet again, trying to teach the younger Exorcist the correct way to pivot his legs and hips evenly; _I can fight akuma without fear but this… this is truly horrific._

**Moonlight:** Allen truly was beautiful, Lavi couldn't help but muse as he studied the younger male laying beside him, tracing every line and curve of his sleeping friend's face as it glowed in the moonlight.

**Flowers:** Under the careful instruction of the little girl sitting beside him, Allen slipped the last daisy into place, and with a swift bout of flourish, and sparking the laughter of the three children from the town surrounding them, plunked the crown of flowers right on Lavi's head.

**Feathers:** Allen could feel his eyebrow twitch violently as Lavi slid a handful of silver and black feathers into the ponytail he had managed to pull Allen's hair into, resisting the urge to strangle his best friend as the redhead grinned down at him and, laughing, proudly proclaimed, "You're a cockatoo!" to all the amused customers in the pet store.

**Mirror:** A low gasp escaped Allen's mouth as the pair stared down at the shattered mirror, muttering for good measure, "Seven years bad luck…" to which Lavi shot back, "I don't believe in bad luck, only pushy friends who shove me into the wall!"

**Scarf:** Allen could barely answer Lavi's soft question, figuring his chattering teeth were proof enough that yes, he was freezing and yes, the obnoxiously orange scarf resting warmly around the redhead's neck was long enough for the two of them to share.

**Sunburn:** "Ouch," Lavi said gently as he pressed his thumb into Allen's cheek, watching the reddened skin turn white, then pink, and then back to red while Allen winced and groaned pitifully; "…maybe you'll believe me the next time I tell you you'll need to cover up better when we go on a day hike… honestly Allen…"

**Hands:** Allen hated how his hands were so different in color and shape to Lavi's when the redhead captured his fingers, but found himself rethinking the thought in startled wonderment when Lavi suddenly grinned wide and, with a light twinkle in his eye, kissed his knuckles without a hint of disgust, smiling tenderly against the blackened skin.

**Fever:** Allen dipped the cloth back into the water, letting the fabric absorb the cool liquid slowly, then lifted it out to squeeze out the excess; his fingers were still dripping as he softly dabbed at Lavi's cheeks and forehead flushed with a color too dark, but breathed a little easier when is friend's own breathing in his fever-induced sleep began to steady.

**Soldier:** As a Bookman, Lavi never thought of himself as a soldier, but when he revealed this to Allen, the young Exorcist gave him a bemused smile and poked his forehead with a low chuckle, stating earnestly that anyone who risked their lives for others was worthy of the title and that he, Lavi, was in too deep, had saved Allen too many times to not consider himself as one.

**Eyes:** "Hey…" Lavi stared at him in sudden wonder, catching his arm to stop him, and Allen hesitated as his friend quickly explained, "Your eyes are so clear, I can see my own reflection… I've never seen that myself, only read about it in books."

**Fight:** "Hey Yuu-chan, you seen All- oh wow Shortstack; the hell did you do to end up pinned to the wall by Mugen…?"

**Ice:** This was no place to spend a night in winter, both the friends knew as they stared up at the iced-over rafters of the abandoned hut they had found and worked desperately to keep their feeble fire going; but it was easier to sleep the moment Allen's head found Lavi's shoulder and shared equally the two blankets they had with them.

**Relief:** Every inch of him burned, every inch of him ached but Lavi dared not breathe until he passed through the door to Headquarters and found Allen waiting for him, his unharmed state filling him with such relief he laughed despite his burning lungs and hugged his most beloved person with the last of his strength.

**Boat:** "Yes Lavi, Bookman is coming too, but I swear, if you mutter even a _word_ about there being a panda in the boat…"

**Singing:** Lavi muffled a snigger with his hand as he slunk into the baths, shadowing the wall and trying hard not to laugh as he caught the last of Allen's rendition of "Poker Face" over his shower.

**Puppy:** "Allen, come on, there's not room in the hotel for all three of us and they'll never let you in with him…" but one look at Allen's pleading face mimicking the dirty but deliriously happy little puppy he had found killed any argument Lavi had; that puppy's home and family had, after all, been killed by the akuma they had just destroyed… "Okay, okay, all right, okay!"

O~o~o~o~O

_Thank you for reading! Thoughts, suggestions, and critique are always welcome. Until next time!_


	2. When It Was Easy

_Hello again! Here's the next "chapter" of sorts, or just the next 20 prompts. ^_^ Thank you so much to anyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! You guys are awesome. :D_

_Again, these are just a series of moments – there is no particular order. Most of these can fit into the scope of whenever in the anime/manga, but as we get a little further, there will be a few AU ones as well. ;) Enjoy them! ~NewMoon_

O-o-o-o-O

**Whicker:** _"Worst… hideout… ever…"_ Lavi muttered as Allen laughed into his shoulder, frowning when the horse whose stall they were sitting in front of lipped eagerly at his hair, whickering softly as he sighed in defeat.

**Noodles:** "I read that slurping your noodles loudly in Japan is considered a compliment to the chef… so why doesn't Kanda ever make any noise when he eats soba?"

**Hope:** There were times when even Allen felt the strain of his mission and hoping was hard for him to do, but then he looked at Lavi's smile, so real after many months of emptiness, now shining through him and warming his heart and suddenly hope was easier to believe in.

**Fairytales:** Allen's eyes widened at the enormous tome Lavi pulled out; "…that whole book is full of fairytales?"

**Blanket:** "Thanks but no thanks Lenalee," he smiled, gently declining her offer as the redhead leaning against his side mumbled something in his sleep, arms unconsciously holding him tighter; "I don't think a blanket will be necessary."

**Loyal:** It wasn't hard to figure out the nature of their bond – the softened smiles and the understanding looks, the protectiveness and support and swift defense – to understand how loyal the two friends were to each other.

**Time:** It was only a matter of time, Lavi thought sadly as he pulled Allen's sleeping form closer to his chest, hand tracing the bleeding pentacle with a tender caress, when he wouldn't be 'Lavi' anymore and Allen would cease to be in his life and he couldn't help but wonder if all the feeling and memories Allen had helped him create would someday disappear too.

**Itch:** "Left… left… left… _right_, right… down a little… and yeah, right… there…" and Allen melted over when Lavi found just the right spot on his back, the one he couldn't reach, to itch for him.

**Silver:** It was the silvery tint to his hair that led Allen to be mistaken for an elderly gentleman more than once, but it was the silver in his eyes that betrayed the young, scared boy he was whenever Lavi caught his gaze.

**Tremble:** Allen shook and trembled for several minutes, Lavi watching and reading him carefully and quietly until the first tear fell and he reacted; leaning forward, pressing his face into the side of Allen's head, Lavi held him close like his friend was the only thing that existed.

**Devotion:** "If you were as devoted to your work as you are to that Allen Walker, you'd be done with this paperwork by now, foolish apprentice!"

**Smile:** Lavi shoved his fingertips into the corners of Allen's mouth and said, "There's a smile, Mr. Grumpy-Face!"

**Chill:** It was strange, the pleasant chills that shot down his spine when Lavi smiled down at him lovingly, fingers gently tracing over his scar and whispering, _"…beautiful…"_ over and over again.

**Laughter:** "It's amazing," Lavi finally managed to whimper at Allen after several minutes of full, hearty, mutual laughter between them, "that I can laugh harder than I ever have in my entire life… and I have no idea what you just said."

**Tender:** His blackened hand was rough and calloused but when Allen found the courage to cup Lavi's cheek, calmly brushing the tears away, the redhead quietly assured him he had never felt anything so tender before.

**Magic:** Allen shoved Lavi lightly on the shoulder to get his attention as they lay on their backs, staring up at the moonlit, cloud-covered, starry sky and whispered happily, "Look Lavi… it's like magic."

**Life:** Allen couldn't understand Lavi's adamant statement that he would follow him in death, but whenever he asked why, he always gained the same answer: "Because, there's no life without you Allen…"

**Mistletoe:** "You know what's funny about mistletoe," Lavi mused to Allen with a smile, observing the corner everyone was avoiding, "is that I've never seen a greater human repellant; I could hide a body over there and no one would ever find it…"

**Star (& Sparkle):** "There's Orion," Lavi pointed to the star-filled sky but Allen failed to notice, too absorbed in how Lavi's emerald eye seemed to sparkle in the pale starlight.

**Pottery:** "This is beautiful…" Allen murmured as his fingers drifted over the smooth surface of the painted vase, depicting a small moment of time of the battle between the Exorcists and the Earl, and though Lavi did not make a sound, he silently agreed.

O-o-o-o-O

_Hope you enjoyed. :) Reviews and critique are always welcome. Until tomorrow!_


	3. Writing Memories & Habits

_Hello there! Here's the next chunk of prompts – these certainly bring back memories for me. Most of the following were written around Thanksgiving/Christmas time last year (2010). :3_

_Oh, and one – Gorgeous (I wrote)... is in memory of Scott. _

_As always, enjoy! *realizes it's almost midnight, and wanders off to bed*_

O-o-o-o-O

**Foretold:** The victory over the Earl by the Destroyer of Time was long foretold, but no one could've predicted how the Chosen One disappeared soon after, forgoing his fame and triumph to follow the one he loved, a friend who didn't have a name or a purpose, all over the world, finding peace alone in walking hand in hand with the one who saw beneath his title, beneath his curse, and had learned to love him back all the same.

**Juggle: **"I'm impressed," Lavi conceded as he watched his friend juggle and, with a smirk and much to the other's dismay, began throwing more balls into Allen's hands to accommodate.

**Home:** All his life, Lavi had been told he wasn't allowed to belong anywhere, to anyone – no place could be called _home… _yet for some reason it was the only word he could think of to describe the moment as Allen shifted against him with a low breath, smiling as Lavi's name left his lips from deep within his dreams.

**Nightmare:** He thought he had seen and felt the worst of this life, that there was nothing more left in this life that he could lose; but he was forced to admit otherwise as he stared into Lavi's paling face and dimming eye, his hands pressing deeper into the gaping wound in his beloved friend's side… there was something more he could lose.

**Ache:** The ache never went away, the dull throbbing of his worried and guilt-ridden heart as he gently clasped Lavi's hand in his and waited out the agonizing hours in silence next to the hospital bed, readying himself for the moment when his quirky redhead would finally awake.

**Apples:** Lavi whined Allen's name when the younger Exorcist suddenly swiped the apple he was about to eat and proceeded to juggle his lovely red apple with two yellow-green ones; chanting irritatingly, "Oh where, oh where, oh where will it land; which apple, which one, will land in your hand?"

**Mystery:** "It's elementary my dear Allen," Lavi proclaimed proudly halfway through their search for the missing Komulin, making Allen fondly smile and roll his eyes as he followed the redhead, making a mental note to hide Lavi's collection of Sherlock Holmes mysteries in his room later.

**Sleepy:** Lavi hid another wide grin as he caught Allen straightening himself beside him for the fifth time; eyes dropping and body tilting sideways in exhaustion, Allen's head came to rest on his shoulder and Lavi wrapped him up with his arm before he could jerk back up to stay awake and Lavi smiled in triumph a few moments later when soft snores rumbled against his side.

**Pastries:** "Allen, those poor people… what do you _mean_ you couldn't control yourself, you bought out their whole - … is that chocolate buttermilk doughnut for me?"

**Nervous:** Allen didn't know why he was so nervous – Lavi had told him, over and over again, that whatever gift he procured for the redhead would be cherished – but he couldn't stop the trembling of his hand as it rose to knock on Lavi's door, his most beloved neck ribbon wrapped around his fingers, ready to be given away to the one who deserved it most.

**Gorgeous:** Allen had never been the sort to throw out enormous words of flattery, so when they stopped in their stroll around the pet shop in front of a beautiful green conure and the first words out of Allen's mouth to the little creature was "Hey gorgeous…" Lavi could not help but stop and stare.

**Forever:** Forever was a long time he supposed, but Lavi was certain it would never be long enough if he got to spend forever with Allen.

**Surprise:** Allen jumped three feet into the air when he was unsuspectingly caught by a certain best friend who then pressed his mouth against Allen's cheek and blew as hard as he could amidst his laughter, creating a rippling effect of both skin and sound; Lavi darted away as quickly as he could, hooting loudly when Allen shrieked at him and gave chase.

**Silk:** Allen always wondered what texture Lavi's hair would be and, after staring at the sleeping redhead in silence for a long moment, reached out and ran his fingers through the scarlet locks, pleasantly surprised and immediately in love as he found Lavi's hair to be even softer and smoother than silk.

**Snore:** It was fascinating how Lavi didn't snore so much as breathe heavily, but it certainly made it a little more difficult to tell if he was sleeping or not as Allen carefully layered his hair in a generous slathering of honey.

**Snuggle:** It was their favorite part of the day when they could escape the reality that surrounded them and fall into each other, sharing a book and couch over candlelight, Allen nestled deeply into Lavi's side where he would fall asleep listening to the other's voice, and Lavi, resting his chin on top of Allen's head, pressing smiles and kisses into his hair.

**Rose:** When Lenalee handed each of the two boys a silken, yellow rose, they stared at the gifts with uncertain eyes but then, glancing at each other, twin smiles appeared on their faces, and together either handed over his own rose in exchange for his best friend's.

**Handwriting:** Lavi's handwriting had always amazed Allen with how slanted and strangely elegant each letter was in its precise placement on the page… but when he told Lavi this in a short letter he scribbled on top of Lavi's notes, he found another note below his a few hours later, praising his own handwriting for being short, curly, and truly unique.

**Rain:** Despite Lavi's appeal to stay inside, Allen limped out to just within the curtain of rain, and as he stood there with his head up and eyes closed, trembling from the cold and his injuries from their last Akuma battle, Lavi let him stand and allow the rain to wash the blood away.

**Infant:** Allen smiled down at the small bundle in his arms, making soft sounds as the baby boy cooed up at him, large blue-green eyes bright and happy, red hair wild and loud against the blue blanket, and he cradled the infant near the window, whispering mostly to himself, "You really do remind me of him…"

**Rainbow:** When Lavi wondered aloud why rainbows existed in a realistic sense rather than a physical one, Allen thought for a moment and responded softly… "It's a promise of hope… that no matter how bad a storm rages, it will come to a close and there will always be a rainbow at the end of it."

O-o-o-o-O

_Thanks for reading. Thoughts and critique are always welcome. Until next time, farewell!_


	4. Bonding Over Nightmares & Games

_Hello again! Goodness, where did yesterday go? *looks around in confusion* Haha, joyous. ^^"_

_Here's the next 20! MANY THANKS to all the wonderful people who have favorited/alerted/reviewed, you are fantastic! I'm sure you'll notice fairly quickly that some of these are starting to get a little longer and more detailed. At this point, we'd been writing them back and forth enough to feel a little adventurous – but hey, if you think some of these are long, just wait for what's coming! :D I hope you guys are enjoying these – hopefully as much as Krisy and I enjoy writing them!_

_O~o~o~o~O_

**Dream:** There was a dream Allen had once where he walked down a cobbled street with no name, following a figure he knew to be Mana; yet, when he asked his father to turn his way, Mana turned into someone else, and while Allen cried out for the other not to leave him, he suddenly felt two hands cupping his face and Lavi's voice, so low and soft and wonderful, whispering, _"I'll never leave you Allen… I promise…"_

**Knight:** He certainly wasn't any knight in shining armor, a majestic steed carrying him into the sunset, but when Allen crawled over the field dragging his bloodied leg along to first make sure his companion was all right, Lavi could only stare up at him in complete wonder.

**Toes:** Allen glared at Lavi as his friend approached; even wrapped up in two blankets and curled up in one of the armchairs of the library and he was still shivering so hard he may as well have been outside in the snowstorm, but that halted when Lavi kindly sat down next to him with his surprisingly comfortable warmth, curled into his side with an arm around Allen's shoulders and a book to share in his hand, and remarked lightly, "Even your toes are like ice!"

**Cure:** Allen found that there was no greater cure – head spinning in the recoils of a nightmare and eyes red from crying, lost in the memories of his failures – that the long walk from his room to the room at the end of the next hall was worth the struggle because he always found what he needed when he was silently enveloped in Lavi's arms, safe at last.

**Snowflakes:** The two boys could not help but laugh out loud at each other for looking so ridiculous as they walked down the pathway, the worn-down dirt road that every moment shaded in more layers of white, and either Exorcist worked to catch the large snowflakes of the flurry on his tongue and giggled at his companion for doing the same.

**Master:** There was no title between them, not Exorcist or Bookman, Master or Apprentice; the only titles that mattered to them were comrade… friend… brother.

**Lonely:** It was hard to believe he had ever felt lonely Allen mused as he knelt next to the side of the couch, smiling softly as he brushed Lavi's bangs off his peaceful, sleeping face to press a tender, thankful kiss to his redhead's cheek.

**Sand:** As they entered their hotel room, Allen was not expecting the high-pitched scream from behind that made him jump around in surprise, but his slight panic mutated into amusement as he watched Lavi pitch a fit when he started stripping out of his layers of clothing, regardless for who was watching; cursing at the sand in his clothes, in his hair, in his ears, between his toes, and scattering sand all over the floor… in hindsight, Allen worried over his lip sheepishly and figured that he really should have warned his friend better about Siberia's sandstorms…

**Story:** When asked by the children of the orphanage to read another story, it wasn't until Allen yawned against his side and snuggled down with a smiling, "Yeah, read another one…" that Lavi felt compelled to suffer through yet another tome of fairytales.

**Dance:** Lavi started to rock them back and forth, foot to foot, a slow, small circle that matched both their steady heartbeats and he couldn't help it, his closed eye beaded with tears… that this hope and need and joy and peace and belonging and understanding between he and Allen existed at all, and how it had created a dance of their souls to which he already knew each step just before it fell, though just before it he had no conscious thought of them at all.

**Whisper:** Sometimes in the night, as Allen lay awake in bed, clutching his pillow and worrying his lip, waiting out the hours until Lavi would return from his mission, he would close his eyes and allow all the memories he had created with the redhead to flood every fiber of his being until he was on the dredges of sleep, Lavi's voice whispering his name in his mind and soul, over and over again.

**Victory:** Allen discovered over time that a victory is not always some great event at the end of one's life, but a series of moments along the way – like making it home from a mission successful, being the first in line to order breakfast from Jerry, finding the opportunity to watch a sunset, or play with a dog, or speak to a friend without worry or fear or holding back – but perhaps one of his favorite victories of all: those rare opportunities where his best friend would allow him to read him to sleep after a long day, Lavi nestled comfortably in his arms and against his side, breathing soft and deep and safe as he murmured the words of a favorite story.

**Unspeakable:** The Noah were infamous for their unspeakable acts to the Exorcists of the Black Order, but when the Noah Neah sent Allen a vision of Lavi lying bloodied and lifeless on a battlefield, slain instantly by the hand that had ripped out his heart, Allen screamed himself out of the nightmare and ran as fast as he could to the redhead's room, tackling his surprised friend with his tears and relieved sobs, patting down his chest and hugging the other close just to confirm he was really there.

**Pudding:** "Yes Lavi, I _am_ that talented; I can burn water when I really try - I eat food, not make it, so next time just believe me when I say the pudding-making should _not_ be left in my hands…?"

**Needed:** Lavi knew that he was needed and he knew this through the physical aspect of the word – by the Clan, by his abilities to witness and record history, by every word he wrote and every drop of ink that stained his fingers – but he could never grasp how easily he had become needed by one Allen Walker – by every smile he gave, every hug, every brief moment they shared in harmony – and he was even more surprised to discover, as he rested his head on Allen's chest, counting every heartbeat that thumped against his cheek, that without Allen he was nothing, that without those smiles, those hugs, those stolen moments, Lavi simply wouldn't exist and with every breath he begged Allen to keep breathing, for his heart to keep beating, for his eyes to open and his lovely, beautiful, 'only-for-you-Lavi' smile to light his face because as much as Allen said he needed him, Lavi was more than certain he needed Allen even more.

**Wings:** If love gave one wings then Lavi was certain he was sky high – though saying that to Allen probably wasn't the best idea considering he was now spitting out a mouthful of carpet while Allen laughed at him hysterically from the couch he'd pushed him off of, barely able to breathe as he pointed out Lavi's _spectactular _flying skills.

**Cards:** A game of cards, Lavi now understood, was not a game for the faint of heart… because if you weren't in a cold sweat within the first five minutes, what with the way Allen played, then the stakes were about to be raised.

**Therapy:** The best therapy, Lavi found, was leaning against a backwards chair before a fireplace, answering questions about his mission and other misadventures while Allen cautiously removed his shirt around any new bruises and wounds to massage his shoulders and neck until all words failed him and he simply melted into his seat, a purring mess beneath Allen's touch.

**Pancakes:** _It makes me diabetic just listening to him…_ Lavi thought weakly as he listened to Allen order a huge platter of pancakes, waffles, and French toast drizzled with honey, fruit, butter, and chocolate.

**Forgiveness: **A few days after the Ark incident, Lavi finally found the courage and strength to corner a surprised Allen in the library and immediately bowed his head and begged for forgiveness for what he'd done under Road's influence; the words hung between them and he turned to run away but was caught and pulled into a warm embrace that made him tremble as Allen assured him he was already forgiven.

_O~o~o~o~O_

_Hope you enjoyed! Comments and critique are always welcome. Later days!_


	5. Learning To Belong

_Hello my friends! Welcome to the next set of prompts. I'm certainly excited to share them with you! ;D I like starting my weekend like this. ^_^_

_Oh, and to the wonderful anonymous reviewer out there (you know who you are) – you are fabulously kind. :3 I certainly will continue for as long as I have prompts to post! These are here especially for people like you to read and love. :)_

_As always, fellow fanfic-lovers – Enjoy. :D_

O-o-o-o-O

**Picnic:** "Lavi… _Lavi…_ you're going a little fast… Lavi, the _picnic basket – _…never mind…"

**Selfless:** Lavi had always been a broken, selfish creature that always paled to Allen's selflessness and strength, so he could only hope he was strong enough, worthy enough to survive as he lunged forward to block the attack meant for his beloved friend, body snapping and breaking under the blow while he fell into the white sound of Allen's horrified scream.

**Ocean:** Allen nudged Lavi's arm as they walked along the shoreline and murmured with a soft grin, "Look at the ocean tonight… it's beautiful… doesn't the sight of it make this life just a little easier to bear?"

**Cherished: **It had been so long since he had felt so cherished and Allen couldn't help but smile against Lavi's neck as the redhead pulled him closer to his chest, whispering sweet nothings to him as he wrapped them more snugly under the covers in order to keep Allen's cold and slight fever from getting worse.

**Whistle:** Allen smiled softly as he watched Lavi drift into that intermediate place between sleep and awake, his foot tapping and his voice whistling the tune to a song only he seemed to know; Allen let his head fall against the redhead's shoulder to listen and, hopefully, doze off himself.

**Longing:** He didn't know how to name it, the impatience he felt with every breath, the desperate longing in his heart as Lavi stared out at the stars, counting the moments he had left until Allen was by his side once again.

**Scars:** "I love your scars," Lavi whispered painfully, gently into Allen's ear as he held his dear friend close, Allen's clipped and shuddered breathing all he could hear, "…all the scattered, broken pieces of yourself… I can see the way they all fit together regardless, making up the person you are… and I love you with the hope that one day, you will be able to see what I see in you as well… all the beauty within the pain."

**Violation:** The Akuma were nothing but a violation to life, tainting everything they touch with poisonous sorrow and treacherous evil – Lavi could care less about those monsters in all honesty, so he could never understand how gun-ho Allen was about saving them all… but for Allen, he helped release all the souls anyway, if only to see the small smile on the other's face as the trapped spirits lifted to the skies, happy and free.

**Whiskers:** Allen had to chuckle lightly when Lavi gave him a tired embrace, disheveled and unshaven after his long mission and his chin flecked with unfamiliar thick and short whiskers that tickled Allen's smoother cheek, and the younger could not help but muss his friend's newfound beard with his head in the irritating affection he had been so long denied expressing.

**Question:** When Allen first told Lavi he needed to ask him something, the redhead immediately caught Allen's slight frown and drawn brows and assumed whatever question his friend had was definitely serious and irritating him, so it was no surprise when Lavi fell off his chair a moment later, dumbfounded laughter rattling his frame after Allen asked him with the straightest face he'd ever seen, "Lavi, what are the 'birds and the bees?'"

**Puzzle:** As it went, they both had their own strengths in puzzle-solving – Lavi for manipulation capability and Allen for strategic planning – but despite their many attempts to second-hand or short-change each other in no matter how small a way, they always found themselves as the fools… and so eventually, on a mutual stalemate and perhaps for the first time in either of their lives, considered the other his true equal.

**Shadows: **Allen laughed in delight, voice breaking down into coughs as he readjusted the cool, damp cloth on his forehead when Lavi sat down on the edge of his hospital bed with a flashlight between his knees so a round ball of light highlighted the wall, his fingers and hands twinning together to create the silhouette of a dog, then a bird, then a crazy octopus within the shadows he made, making funny faces beneath his own bandages with every new creation, eye glowing warmly with every laugh or giggle he was awarded.

**Hats:** Lavi burst out laughing at the sight of Allen plunking a fedora on his head and striking a pose in the department store, the pinstriped hat accenting his brilliant smile and a surprisingly carefree face, and it did the redhead's heart a stunning amount of good to see his friend like that.

**Exile:** The old panda had called it _exile_, his removal from the Clan and from the Order at the end of the war, but Lavi couldn't see how walking hand in hand with the only person he care about could be considered something as despondent as _exile_ but rather _freedom_ as he and Allen trekked down the dirt road, free from war and strife and holding a map between them with plotted red lines and markings all over the world, the proof of a plan they had created long ago and the dream they were now realizing together.

**Defeat:** Lavi had never known a defeat like this, one so intimate and so closely defined to the heart he had been told and taught himself for the entirety of his recalled life he was not supposed to have; but no other word fit, nothing came close to this defeat of the life that was no longer his as he collapsed into Allen's arms, body heaving with the grief he never thought he would set free and his one visible eye overflowing with tears as he whispered painfully, "Suddenly I belong to someone, and it's just for me and you… to have this for nothing more than to give meaning to breathe, to rise up and walk again… Allen, you're my reason…"

**Freedom: **Allen sat enthralled under the pile of children sitting on him as they listened to Lavi's rather enthusiastic retelling of the story of one William Wallace and he couldn't help but smile wide and join in when Lavi reached the execution scene and yelled as loud as he could over the children's voices Braveheart's final word: "FREEDOM!"

**Cat-Call:** Allen clicked his tongue in playful annoyance, grabbed Lavi's collar and pulled him a little closer to fix his cuff, but as he did so, a group of girls on the other side of the dance floor whistled at the two boys dressed in tuxes and looking so sharp, the cat-call drawn out and high; but not one to be outdone, Lavi grinned as Allen reddened, pulled his young friend close to his side and yelled out, "Keep staring, he might play a trick on you too!"

**Missing:** When Allen overheard the news in Komui's office – _"Akuma attack… all Exorcists and Finders on the train missing or dead…" _– the books he was holding fell unceremoniously to the floor at his feet as he dashed to the Chief, heart clenching and voice tightly on the edge of panic as he demanded to know what had become of Lavi and, learning his redhead's whereabouts were unknown, immediately signed himself up for the forming rescue team, determined to find his beloved friend no matter what.

**Sanity:** "Ah, but my dear Allen, your plots of revenge would be wasted on me… it doesn't matter how you try to drive me insane; I still can't lose what I never had to begin with."

**Caress:** "I'm so sorry," Allen whispered in the darkness over the weak but steady pulse of Lavi's heartbeat and the thundering winds that rattled over the hut he'd discovered for a refuge, sliding his fingers over the broken skin of the redhead's chest and tracing every scar with a loving, somber caress as silent tears slid down his cheeks, a constant prayer lining his mouth, a desperate hope that somehow, some way, they would both make it out alive.

O-o-o-o-O

_Thank you so much for reading! Comments and critique are always welcome. Thinking of a word you'd like to see? Send it along in a review! Krisy and I may have already used it (in which case, it'll be coming!), but we are always on the hunt for good words to write to. ;3 Until the morrow – Ja!_


	6. Finding Wants, Discovering Needs

_Hello everyone! (Ha, who's seen the awesome YouTube DGM Abridged Series? 8D) Here's the next batch of prompts. They're starting to get longer, but I hope you all still enjoy them regardless! _

_Have a wonderful night, my friends. I'm going to pass out. ^.^ G'night!_

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**Flirting:** "Oh boy, you just had to point out her ears… you really have no idea what to say to a girl, do you Allen?"

**Prayer:** "Like this Lavi," Allen softly instructed, smiling when Lavi hesitantly pressed his hands together, looking uncertain when Allen closed his palms over his, eyes closing with a gentle hum as the younger Exorcist began to pray for them both, almost singing the words to a well-versed prayer that left Lavi speechless and feeling slightly awkward, especially when Allen concluded with a tender, "…and open Lavi's heart to You, in Your Son's holy name… Amen."

**Kitten:** Allen looked pleased when the kitten settled into his arms, but his best friend look miffed at the tiny creature and muttered under his breath, "Annoying as hell…"

**Breath: **Fighting down panic, Allen quickly tilted Lavi's head back and forced air into his lungs, slamming his fist down onto the redhead's unmoving chest with unrelenting force, screaming and crying as he covered Lavi's mouth with his own to push more air in, beating down on the other's frozen, soaked form with desperate cried of, "Dammit Lavi…_ breathe!"_

**Paint:** "Oh Lavi…" Allen murmured in wonder as he stared down at the small canvas in his friend's hand, the revelation of the greatest hidden talent he had ever seen – the muted and beautiful colors and lines of a nearly finished sunrise over the rolling hills of India, entirely from memory – "I didn't know you could paint."

**Scared:** Allen didn't know what to do but wrap his arms around Lavi's trembling body when the redhead suddenly bolted upright with a choked scream, eye wide and breathing much too fast and looking far too scared for a simple nightmare.

**Jealous:** Sometimes it hurt to watch Lavi get along even remotely well with others, so much more of a socializer than he, but Allen held back from the want to put himself first… he didn't want to be a bother, especially with something that should not have mattered as much as it did, and so waited in quiet, pained silence for Lavi to remember him again.

**Echo:** "I love Allen Walker!" Lavi shouted into the cave, arms wrapped about said Exorcist as he slowly grew redder and redder with each echo of the declaration.

**Spar:** It took them three straight days of practice in sparring, but Lavi had finally figured out a complex but visually stimulating act of balance with Allen that helped a great deal in their teamed-up fighting ability, where Allen would front-flip into the air, finding his landing towering above the redhead in a hand-stand with their hands clasped to hold him up… to read each other's movements and support each other's needed ends… and the moment they knew they had it right, Allen looked down at Lavi and they caught each other's gaze and the two friends began to laugh.

**Freak:** Allen suddenly felt sick when he caught a glimpse of himself in half a dozen mirrors hanging in a store window, the word _freak_ a dull whisper in the back of his mind as he paused to stare at his reflection… only to be pulled away a moment later into a firm embrace, Lavi's deep voice enveloping him as the redhead brushed his mouth over his ear, tracing the words _'beautiful' _and '_wonderful' _and '_perfect just the way you are'_ against his skin with a loving smile.

**Footprints:** "Just follow me Allen, step where I step, and we'll get out of this ice," Lavi whispered carefully and Allen obeyed, taking great care to stay close and step only where his friend stepped, following Lavi's footprints off the frozen lake.

**Fragile: **Lavi's heart was broken and unused when he gave it to Allen, but he never had a doubt that Allen would cherish and hold it close, never abusing it or taking it for granted like he had once feared, knowing that his heart, even in its fragile state, was safe and loved in Allen's embrace.

**Confetti:** Lavi groaned and face-palmed after the first glance around his room… or at least, he _thought_ it was his room but now so covered with confetti, colored paper and scattered with hard candy over every book and scroll and piece of furniture he owned that he could not be sure… only the huge banner that read _Happy Birthday Lavi_ gave him a solid clue… and the giggling from around the corner was _not_ helping.

**Headache:** "I'm _dying~!" _Lavi moaned piteously as he followed Allen down the hall, head pounding and vision swimming as he slowly titled forward, forehead resting easily in the junction of Allen's neck and shoulder as he whined some more, making the other pause and curl his fingers into the redhead's hair in an effort to massage a bit of the pain away.

**Tiptoe:** Lavi tiptoed into Allen's room quietly, careful not to let that floorboard creek or to bump into the side table in the dark, but as soon as he reached the bedside and found Allen softly dreaming (for once), the redhead's careful hands sought him out in the darkness and his fingertips drifted against his cheek to wake him, "Good morning buddy…"

**Embrace:** Allen secretly hated receiving hugs, mostly because he had no idea how to react to them… but the hugs he got from a certain redheaded best friend, the type of all-encompassing embrace that promised safety and love and comfort and joy left him speechless and glowing, and he soon discovered he didn't mind the hugs Lavi so often and so freely gave him.

**Balloon:** Lavi found the perfect distraction: one of the nurse's extra rubber gloves lay innocently on the side table and it stretched easily when he exhaled into it; holding up his makeshift balloon, the redhead stole a marker and drew on a face and was pleased when Allen managed a weak chuckle and a real smile for the antics done in his favor as he lay prone in his hospital bed.

**Suffused: **Allen jumped clear out of the mud when an animalistic scream of _"Ah, a tasty Exorcist!" _sounded in his ear, body switching to automatic defense as he spun around, prepared to fight… only to pause as sudden, very familiar laughter came from the creature standing before him and he rolled his eyes in disbelief at the sight of Lavi, seemingly unhurt by his fall into the swamp courtesy of a Level Two, hunched over in hysterical mirth, every inch of him suffused completely in mud.

**Stealth:** Lavi stealthily crept a little closer… he checked, but Allen had not yet woken… his friend lay so quiet and so wrapped up in sleep in a way he had barely seen of late; he reached the beside and the older boy knelt upon his knees in the pale silver light thrown over the floor and let his fingertips drift carefully, cautiously into Allen's equally silver hair – Allen had made him promise to come say hello when he returned and would curse being asleep now, but Lavi found it difficult to mind or to wake him – his white-haired friend looked so calm and untroubled, his face free of the lines of wear days and months and years had given him, and as Lavi leaned in closer to him, hearing only a soft breath as a greeting, he pressed a soft kiss onto Allen's temple and prayed within himself just a scattering of words not for himself, but that he could see Allen so content when he was awake as well.

**Rigorous: **Allen had always believed the most rigorous exercise he could get his body through was three consecutive hours sparring in the training rooms with himself and any other shadows up to the challenge, but he was proven wrong after only a few minutes of chasing Lavi through the Order, breath hitching and sides burning from laughing so hysterically even though the sly redhead had stolen away with the last of his precious dango and was dancing around in glee just out of reach, nearly falling over himself as he taunted down the hall, "Come and get it Allen!"

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_Thank you for reading! Thoughts and critique are always welcome – Krisy and I love hearing from you all. ;D_


	7. Familiarity

_Hello all! Firstly – thank you so much to anyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/alerted this story; Krisy and I have both noticed and greatly appreciated your attention and support. You've all made this a great deal of fun for us! ^_^ Here's the next set for your enjoyment – and just for the record, Scamper (fifth one down), is one of my all time favorites. X3!_

_Enjoy them. ;D_

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**Sleep-rolls:** Allen slowly unwrapped his arms from around Lavi's waist and allowed the smirking redhead to lower him off the back of the gray gelding, who held his nose out for Allen to rub as he regained his bearings; feeling a twinge of envy as Lavi dismounted with all the grace and flourish of a prince or gentleman and Allen was grudgingly about to compliment his friend's skills when he noticed something amiss from the saddle bags... and instantly his comment fled under the glare of a frown as he slowly demanded, "Lavi… we're at the cabin… our food is here and our equipment is there, but… where are the sleep-rolls…?"

**Cute:** Under the enthusiastic promise that Lavi would dedicate his day to him – mostly to cheer them both up – Allen made his way to the redhead's room and, with a knock, let himself in, only to jump as a scandalized yell filled his ears and a shirt whipped over his head, covering his face as Lavi pushed him from the room, answering his laughing protests with a girlish squeal of, "Because I'm not cute yet Allen!"

**Shopping:** "Lavi…" Allen whispered as he stared at the offering in Lavi's hands, a silk ribbon of blended and faded silver, green, and red, gifted in the middle of a busy shopping court; and to Allen's surprised face, Lavi smiled easily, picked up his friend's hand, place the neck ribbon on his palm, and told him quietly, "This is for you – silver is your color, green is mine, and red… red for the both of us…" and as he reached, Lavi's sleeve pulled up a little to reveal a familiar, thin necktie bound around his wrist…

**Overcome:** The rush of feeling made his head spin and the weight of relief he felt when Allen finally, _finally_ opened his eyes, blinking owlishly and wincing at his head wound, was simply too great for him to bear and with a choked laugh, Lavi pulled Allen close, hugging him tightly as he cried openly into his silver hair, too overcome with relief and joy to utter anything other than Allen's name as he gripped the other's face, tracing every line and curve like a long lost friend, laughing and sobbing as Allen gently, oh so gently, smiled back.

**Scamper:** When the rabbit scampered into their campsite, sniffed and eyed the two Exorcists curiously, then bounced away, unafraid, Allen glanced at his friend lounging languidly at his side and inquired easily, "Friend of yours?"

**Tracking:** Allen had to admit the endless hours of tracking were worth it when he and Lavi hunkered down in a thicket and watched the wild mountain horse they were following stand and lick her new foal, a fuzzy, white, big-eyed colt that wobbled around the clearing, sniffing and taking in the world with a curious eagerness that made Allen smile and lean against his friend, who wrapped an arm around him snugly as they watched the scene unfold.

**Swimming:** "You're an idiot Lavi," Allen teased mercilessly after the echoing splash and the ear-splattering yelp that sounded over the peaceful stillness of the crisp morning; the white-haired Exorcist, still fully clothed and warm, giggled and smiled at the chattering threats and whines from his companion; "It's still spring, dummy, and that lake couldn't have thawed before yesterday…"

**Father:** Lavi crouched down before the tombstone, lowering the roses and other wild flowers he had picked to the base of the stone as he gently set the bouquet down and rocked back on his heels, smiling down at the familiar name and the words _loving father _he traced with his fingers while he murmured softly, "It's a… real pleasure to finally meet you… Mana…"

**Heartbeat:** "I love you like this," Lavi whispered, lifting Allen's hands and placing them on his chest, "like a heartbeat… your steady friend who never wavers and simply is… constant and steadfast and _yours…"_

**Assurance:** "I got your back Allen," Lavi assured and Allen nodded before taking a fighting stance, trusting his companion's words completely and allowing himself to focus intently on the Level Three before them.

**Pose:** "No Lavi… that pose does _not_ make you look irresistible."

**Gloves:** It felt so strange to be so openly touched on his left arm without his gloves on and he always felt uncomfortable when his cursed hand was out in the open for all to see, but for some reason Allen couldn't find the means, nor the want, to pull away as Lavi soothed him with a soft smile and gently pulled off his gloves to kiss his knuckles with a sweet, "I'm home Allen…"

**Bandana:** "Johnny designed my bandana for me… this side, in an abstract way, is like a rising or a setting sun… and the waving bar he added when found out about my innocence level two release, how it looks like a dragon… pretty neat, huh?"

**Collapse:** "LAVI!" Allen shouted as he watched his beloved friend collapse under the force of the attack in a cloud of dust and blood, breaking and shattering his world in an instant as he rushed forward, heedless of the danger, and grabbed for Lavi's destroyed coat, screaming his name as he pulled the unresponsive redhead free from the rubble.

**Pocky:** Allen had been happily munching away on the bag of pocky Lenalee had given to him, but one look at Lavi's pleading face the instant the redhead saw his treat said he wasn't going to keep it all to himself; so the younger Exorcist extracted several pieces and, before Lavi could even ask, Allen jammed them all into his mouth and went back to nibbling on his own.

**Conversation:** By the end of the war, Allen was sure he and Lavi had had about as many conversations about as many topics as anyone could have in a lifetime and he'd absorbed them all… but he had to admit that this conversation in particular, laughing and crying so openly and freely against Lavi's chest as the battered redhead swooped him up into his arms, shouting his name as he cried in joy and spun them in wild, happy circles on the final battlefield, was probably the most precious conversation he'd ever had.

**Tightrope:** "You're a cheater Allen… yes you are, you can't use your claw to keep your balance and still call it tightrope walking!"

**Exhilaration:** "Isn't this great Allen?" Lavi shouted over the wind, hands tight around Allen's waist as they both balanced on Hiban's handle while it extended into the air, and though he was frozen in fear of falling, Allen's trust in Lavi's hold around him made him smile in response to the redhead's laughter and he slowly raised his arms out to the sides, heart light and soaring as he gave into the exhilaration caught between them.

**Letters:** Lavi found a certain amount of peace in the fact that, despite being so far apart for so long, he could still sense their closeness in the words of the letters Allen sent and the ones he wrote back himself.

**Kind:** When Lavi helped an elderly woman cross the busy street, smiling like the gentleman he was underneath, and staying a few moments to talk and accept her thanks with a gracious bow, Allen couldn't help but smile in fond wonder at the genuine show of kindness his redhead rarely bestowed on others besides his closest friends.

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_Thank you again for reading! I hope I get the chance to hear and respond back to your thoughts. :D Until tomorrow!_


	8. Even When It Hurts

_Hey friends! I have the next set, and I am ecstatic to be sharing these ones! This is where we really start getting into several of our novel-worthy lines, and yet still, amazingly, we keep within the "one sentence only" rule. ^.- You'll have to let us know how we did! _

_And, giving a little credit where credit is due, here is both a warning and a disclaimer (not covered under the original disclaimer... ;3) regarding two of our prompts: _

_~ "Nicknames" – the nicknames used are original nicknames that my best friend and I created and are not for casual use outside these prompts. Please do not use them without first getting permission! Thank you. :)_

_~ "Watermelon" – inspired by JanuaryGreen's fanfiction "Lavi's Day Out". If you'd like to know the whole story behind that one-liner, please go read her story! It's hysterical!_

_All right then, on with it – and enjoy!_

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**Silence: **As much as Allen treasured Lavi's voice, he treasured his silences as well, the calm moments between them filled not with words but of different, shared emotions – their mutual contentment, wonder, even pain – when it was a quiet relief that words were not needed nor asked for, and yet they could both walk away feeling as though they had been lifted up, reassured and encouraged by each other all the same; an entire volume of unspoken but understood conversations between them.

**Cradle:** "Stay with me Lavi," Allen pleaded, voice broken and wet as he cradled the redhead to his chest, rocking them from side to side while pressing down on the gaping wound across Lavi's ribs, crying silently into his red hair as he waited for the medic to arrive.

**Forbidden: **"I must really care for you in this forbidden heart of mine… that I could throw away everything I've ever wanted, everything I've worked for without a second thought… to stay with you… my brother…"

**Reaching:** All his life Allen had been searching, unconsciously reaching out his hand and his heart, silently wishing someone special would catch his hand and accept his gift and hold him tightly until the world disappeared and nothing else mattered… so when Lavi found him reaching and clasped his hand, intertwining their fingers as he whispered _"I love you Allen"_ against his ear, Allen wept silent tears that faded on his smile and he held onto Lavi tightly, falling into the happiness consuming him until time stopped and the world vanished and Lavi and his love were all that remained.

**Devious:** "Lavi, I _know_ that devious glint in your eye – what on earth are you planning, and how do I get in on it?"

**Protect:** Never had the urge to protect someone besides himself been so strong, and Lavi blinked slowly at the revelation as he tenderly traced his fingers through Allen's hair, thumb caressing his beloved friend's scarred cheekbone while Allen slept on, oblivious to his actions and the solemn vow Lavi made to himself that he sealed with a fragile, heartbreaking kiss to Allen's forehead, whispering, "I'll keep you safe… _I promise…"_

**Boots:** It's been said before that you can tell a lot about someone by the state of their shoes – boots being no exception – and Allen's boots spoke volumes about him: to the sight, scruffy and faded, a little worn and rough around the edges from long and hard years of service, but to the touch were found to be cleanly oiled and as soft as a hummingbird's nest, patched and cared for with personal skill and pride, and easily just as sturdy and reliable as a brand new pair of any shoemaker's finest.

**Eye-patch:** Lavi's eye-patch bore subtle mysteries to Allen, one he walked the borderline on between asking his friend to allow him to see the eye underneath and waiting for Lavi to reveal his eye on his own… but it was another mystery Allen chose to solve when the two of them walked into a tailor's shop; Lavi turned at his name being called to witness Allen grinning broadly from ear to ear, an eye-patch over his right eye, smirking at his disbelieving face as he laughingly stated, "So this is what it's like to see with only one eye… man Lavi, this kind of sucks…!"

**Dominos:** Allen had never seen a game of dominos before and went from uninterested to skeptical, intrigued, curious, fascinated, and at last excited as he and Lavi built their own unique setup of the small playing pieces until they had set up enough to knock them all down.

**Dream-catcher:** Allen smiled in awe as he held up the beautiful object Lavi had sent him from the Americas, fingering the delicate feathers and netting and rolling the red and green beads hanging off of it with wonder as he pulled a note from the box, decorated with Lavi's distinct writing: "This is called a _dream-catcher_ Allen… let it catch all your nightmares where I'm not there to do so."

**Nicknames: **Kanda face-palmed internally and left the room when the two friends began to nickname each other with what they pulled straight out of their heads, the overly sweetened tones of _"Oh, Alle-bear!"_ and _"Haha, Lava-lamb!"_ haunting his quickening and disappearing steps.

**Reunited: **Lavi couldn't describe how _good_ it felt, after so many nights on a cold, unforgiving floor and stiff-backed mornings when all his muscles screamed for relief, to stumble through the gates of the Order straight into Allen's waiting arms, pulling him in tightly, so warm and welcoming Lavi could've fallen asleep right where he stood, smiling tiredly against Allen's neck as his most beloved person whispered lovingly to him,_ "Welcome home."_

**Watermelon:** "Lavi… Lavi _no…_ damn painkillers, I'm losing you… Lavi, wake up… _NO_ you can't… it's not like they're going to talk back, why on earth would you want me to take you to the watermelons?"

**Music:** Allen awkwardly placed his left hand on Lavi's shoulder, staring up inquisitively at the redhead's secretive, lovely smile while his other hand was captured and warm fingers found his waist as Lavi pulled him into a slow dance, chuckling quietly against his cheek when Allen wondered aloud why they were dancing to no music but fell silent as Lavi's face buried into his shoulder and breathed him in, humming softly, "Then we'll make our own music."

**Waiting:** Lavi felt like he had wasted most of his life waiting – waiting, walking, recording, waiting – waiting, always waiting, and he grew, to some degree, to dislike the monotony of it all… but then Allen came along and taught him a new meaning to waiting, and then suddenly, Lavi began to wish that time would slow, just a little, so these moments of precious time would not be swept away into the record books.

**Petals:** Allen leaned against Lavi's chest as they lounged in the meadow, smiling as the warm breeze bent a daisy into his lap and, glancing sideways to ensure Lavi was still dozing against him and the boulder at his back, Allen plucked the flower from the ground and slowly started to pull one silken white petal off then watch it fall – _he loves me – _then he plucked another petal, frowned then dropped it, checking Lavi once again lest the redhead discover the childish game he was playing – _he loves me not – _then carefully plucked another petal with a small smile, then another with a frown, then another until no more petals could be found to pluck – _he loves me not – _and he sighed sadly as he tossed the empty stem away, irritated that the result bothered him even in the least, and was about to grab for another flower when two arms suddenly embraced his middle, pulling him close as Lavi rested his chin on his shoulder, smiling at Allen's surprised flush at being caught and murmured tenderly, _"He loves you…"_

**Chains:** For days, he yanked and pulled and raged at the chains and fetters that held him bound, the other end of the heavy metal driven deep into the surface of the mountain ridge behind him... but regardless of what he did, he could not pull them free... and every day he could not run was another day they would return to hurt him; beat him until his senses reeled with agony and weakness and they had found more than their fill of enjoyment soaking in his pain... he began to wonder if he would die this way; trapped in this would without light, or hope, or a future with more than just hurt... but then one night, while his tormentors slept, a deft form stowed into the clearing and one by one swiftly killed every one of his captures... and when this slender entity came for him, he hung forward in defeat, his weight pulling at the manacles about his wrists, his arms long since dead from lack of bloodflow... but it was not the end... instead of a knife slicing through the soft flesh of his throat, calloused fingertips tenderly brushed over his face, and a soft voice he recalled better in his dreams than reality itself whispered, "Oh heaven, Allen, I thought I lost you forever..." ... the fetters unlocked, their keys stolen from the side of a now dead assailant and he buckled bonelessly, but strong arms scooped him up and held him close, they did not let him fall... and Allen whispered the name he had cried out in the deepest throes of his torture, "... _La-...-vi_..." and for the first time since his capture, wept.

**Theory:** Rumbling and soft rocking gently drew Lavi out of his dreams... with a yawn, he adjusted into a more comfortable position against the warmth next to him and was prepared to fall back to sleep when a familiar voice invaded his thoughts... "Lavi, this is just my theory, but it looks like you've attached yourself to someone..." and Lavi's eye wearily opened; realizing again that he had fallen asleep on Allen's shoulder sometime during the 16-hour train-ride home... soft silver eyes glanced sideways at him, a ghost of a smile appearing on his friend's face before the younger boy turned back to the book on his lap, and Lavi just shrugged at the old man across the cabin room... "As you said..." the redhead muttered as he folded his arms and leaned back against Allen's shoulder with a sigh, "... just a theory."

**Pleasant:** Allen could remember the first night he had ever spend with Lavi, not long after their first mission... he had been wandering the dark halls in a half-dazed stupor when sudden light poured out from an open doorway and a bright face with red hair appeared... seeing how exhausted and worn Allen looked, Lavi beckoned him inside, where he warmed and settled his guest, and they talked long into the already late night; about what, Allen couldn't really say, but he could remember the warmth in the conversation and idly wished over time that it would never end... and at some point, when the mood sobered between them, Lavi asked him why he had been wandering the halls at such a late hour, to which Allen told him he had awakened from another night terror... and when Allen asked Lavi why the redhead had invited him to stay, Lavi merely shrugged and said with a small smile, "I was just curious about you..." and there they fell asleep, side by side, overtaken by pleasant dreams.

**(To Be) Held:** He decided on an experiment of sorts; he wasn't going to hug his best friend unless the other himself initiated the contact, and for days and weeks, Lavi didn't hug Allen once... they still spoke every day and everything seemed to be normal, but some of the silliness and playing around and magic of their relationship was gone, and while Lavi ached for it to return, he was too stubborn to give in... and then, one late evening, Lavi was kneeling on the floor of Allen's room and listening to the other chat away with Lenalee, but he wasn't really paying attention... he had gone a little listless... and he wasn't expecting it when arms enveloped his head and drew him in, and more from instinct than actual thought Lavi leaned his head into the embrace and let his eye close for a moment or two, and as Allen let him go with a smile, Lavi could only numbly, gratefully whisper, "... thank you..."

O-o-o-o-O

_You are fantastic for reading this far. I sincerely hope you enjoyed them all. As always, comments and critique are always welcome. Until next time! ^_^_


	9. Without Regret

_Hello all! I was going to split this chapter to half its length because these prompts are MONSTERS, but I feel horrid that I didn't make it online last night, so... you get a double dose of sorts. That, and all day today I stared out at the cloudless, hot sky and wished for rain, and tonight I've been watching the most amazing lightening/thunder storm – it's been enrapturing for hours! It's made me very happy. So, I'm treating you guys as well. Hope you enjoy them all!_

_A few of these prompts warrant some special attention – Mute, Question, Heartfelt, Breathe, and Mirror are all technically AU, and that fact is made strikingly obvious due to things like different physical ailments (i.e. blindness), titles, ages, and timeframes. They are pretty self explanatory when you read them, I just wanted to make sure I pointed them out so they don't get double takes in the grand scheme of things. ;) Kay? Kay. ^^ (Oh, and on another side note, Mute and Question are companion pieces. ;3)_

_As always; enjoy, my friends. :)_

O-o-o-o-O

**Sacrifice:** "Look at him Gramps... look at me..." Lavi spoke with such gentleness, his barely conscious friend's upper body in his lap and cradled protectively in his arms, his thumb vaguely whispering up and down Allen's hollow cheek; all manner of anger or rage gone as he stared up at the old man who had been his mentor and teacher for as long as he could remember, begging now for understanding, but Bookman did not understand... "Lavi, he is no relation of yours, save your bond; you didn't need to sacrifice yourself to be executed too when you've done nothing wrong, there is no need to die with him... please..." and Lavi could only shake his head with a heavy-set sigh... "He _is _me, he is my soul... and they can kill us together."

**Wistful:** The only thing he noticed was the rain slapping softly against the windowpane as he lay his head back into the soft coziness of the overstuffed couch and let his eyes drift shut, and he dreamed in wistful semi-consciousness of an entirely different time that faded with every passing year, and a face... he had not seen since... and when he woke in drowsy sorrow, eyes burning quietly behind closed lids, a comfortable weight settled into the couch just next to him and warm strength leaned against his chest, enveloping him steadily, softly... and when Allen finally dared open his eyes, his vision was obscured by a mess of wild red hair; and, as if sensing his gaze, a low voice close to his ear whispered quietly, "-the rain is so lovely..." to which Allen closed his eyes again and let his head fall forward, buried sweetly in the smell and feel of his best friend who, without needing words, again had safeguarded his wounded heart.

**Dream:** He woke with a start, jerking partially upright and glancing a hand off his brow still burning with fever, but cool fingertips took hold of his shoulders and eased him back down... and Allen, after a moment or two, weakly caught the hand he knew was his friend's and whispered a question inflicted on him by his fever-dreams, "What is the hardest thing about being my friend...?" to which he felt Lavi lean in close and brush his face with a damp cloth, and after a moment, whispered in return, "... The hardest part about being your friend... is loving you so much."

**Glitter:** It was nearing the end, and many years had passed; yet still, the lingering ache had never faded away completely... He stared down at the headstone set in place for decades and traced the surface tenderly with wrinkled, strong fingers; as if the unyielding stone were the face he longed to see, the voice he longed to hear, the touch he longed to feel... he set down the two white roses he held and knelt to his knees slowly; reflecting back, as he did every time he visited, on his dearest friend... he remembered their jokes and laughter and kindness and support... how he had trusted this friend with his back and his heart, had been a witness to the weakest moments, the greatest triumphs... he had loved this friend without remorse or reserve, loved him as an extension of himself... and as he lay down on the grass by the headstone, as if laying side by side with his friend again, he stared up at the clearing sky with tears in his eyes and wondered... when it would finally be his time as well... but then slowly, small spots of shimmering light began to fall into his line of vision, scattering all around him... the light suddenly seemed brighter, the air cleaner, the wind softer... and from behind, a voice called to him gently... "... Lavi..." ... and Lavi looked up at the face staring down at him, a young man with white hair and soft grey eyes who reached for him, grasped hold of his hand, and pulled him to his feet... and Lavi stared in bewilderment at the boy smiling quietly at him, the smile he knew held a secret about to be told, and then took in smoothness of his own hand – he was young again... he looked back, and saw his own aged body still laying on the ground with a peaceful face, and then turned back to the boy with the white hair, who saw the question in his eye and nodded easily... "I've come to take you home..." and Lavi's jaw began to tremble as he only just managed to choke out, "Allen..." ... and he rushed at Allen and fell on his neck, and wrapped his arms around him, and kissed him, and they cried together... because the long separation was over, because there was no more waiting for either of them... the waiting was done... there was no more sorrow in the tears... now, there was only joy.

**Live:** "You're all I've got..." he heard clearly, even over the sound of the heavy rain that had long since soaked them both... "I could learn to live without you again, but I don't want to... you're the only one I've ever know to just ask me to be myself, but if that isn't enough to keep you, then just tell me... so I can fade back, and not bother you anymore..." and he was dumbfounded when two hands yanked him forward and arms wrapped firmly around his sodden shoulders, keeping him from leaving... "I need you..." came the reply, and his own eyes closed in wonder... "... and I always will... no matter what happens, or where we end up, that will never change... you are part of me... and I... I am part of you... right?"

**Good Night: ** Allen huffed a soft laugh as he entered their tent at last, finding Lavi already asleep – they had found a small alcove nestled deep in the mountains and well away from prying eyes; the battles today had been long, tiresome, and brought them close to failure more than once, and they were in dire need of rest... Allen studied Lavi's sleeping face several moments in the weak light of the candle, and then lightly touched his friend's elbow – he had been badly burned by a particularly ill-tempered Akuma who hadn't taken the redhead's teasing lightly – and the white-haired Exorcist noted the other's even breathing and smiled in relief, pressing his forehead and nose into the side of Lavi's face and breathed him in... too many close calls... before he backed up enough to lay down on his own sleep mat... but just before he drifted off completely, a soft "... Allen...?" pulled him back, and there was Lavi, drowsily awake, but his eye was alight with a soft kind of fear and his jaw taunt with disquieting thoughts, and, wanting to ease that expression far away from Lavi's normally cheerful face, Allen reached forward and offered his friend his hand; and when their fingers threaded together, the white-haired Exorcist nodded tiredly, reassuringly, and whispered a gentle, "I'm here... good night..."

**Mute:** Allen felt the urge to shiver as he knelt down in front of the listless figure, lips tight in a frown as a lone emerald eye slowly rolled up to meet his dead on in a soul-capturing stare, the face it belonged to slack and pale and bloodied beneath the drooping red bangs plastered to his damp skin; with a gulp, Allen forced a smile and held out his hand, introducing himself with a soft breath that disturbed the other's bangs with the slightest of touches, but the redhead merely blinked when Allen asked for his name in return, an action almost alien with only one working eye, and remained silent, searching in the stillness, decoding Allen's secrets in his gaze – he could not hide, he realized too late as the man gave a strange huffing sound, part wheeze, part breath then shakily took his hand with his own, fingers strong as they gripped his skin, traced into his palm: "L...a...v...i..."

**Question: ** Allen frowned a bit as the redhead easily leaned into him, molding to his side like he had been specially made to fit there, and as his hands unconsciously weaved into Lavi's hair, he couldn't help but wonder at the warmth he felt blooming in his chest, the familiarity of the position – Lavi's content smile against his neck, the way he breathed, the way he moved, oh so gently, against his side – and Allen pressed his cheek to the other's forehead without a thought, his body moving on its own, his mouth betraying the question haunting his heart: "Are you sure we've never met before...?" he asked, biting his lip and feeling a strange sense of panic when Lavi stiffened at his words, a flicker of pain so sharp Allen didn't need to tilt his head to see the tight look that formed on Lavi's face before the redhead withdrew, slowly, painfully, every movement agony as he slipped from Allen's touch, standing stiffly, downcast, the image of his retreating back, heavy and defeated, bringing unbidden tears to his eyes as Lavi limped on, fading into the shadows.

**Breaking Point:** Lavi stared at him hazily out the corner of his eye, his forehead against the wall where he had slammed down and broken skin, slowly oozing blood, and then cut himself off before finishing his question, something about what he needed to know... But Allen didn't need to hear the rest; somehow, he already knew... he wrapped trembling arms around his dearest friend's shoulders and leaned into his side, gripping his hand tightly though Lavi couldn't feel it, and whispered in a tone broken, ragged... but every ounce as sure and true as anything... "Lavi... _I love you._.. even here, even now... I still love you... I always will..." and Lavi started to shake, hesitating only a moment before wrenching himself away from the wall and back into his friend's arms, tearless sobbing weakening his voice as he pressed his face into Allen's chest and breathlessly whispered in return, "Thank you... I love you... thank you..."

**Always:** Lavi never understood why Allen never crossed the 'always' line to say 'forever' – not to say he didn't shiver every time Allen held him close and whispered, "I'll always be here with you... _always_..." but it worried him, that somehow forever wasn't good enough in regards to them, that Allen didn't believe in forever, but when he voiced this, Allen just smiled softly and eased him with a soft, "... because forever will _never _be long enough..."

**Language:** Lavi's little game had been quite genius (if he could say so himself) and the look on Allen's face every time Lavi scribbled off the phrase, each in a different language, made the scowls and punches all the more worth it as Allen grew more and more exasperated in his attempts to discover just what Lavi was writing... but even the redhead had to admit he may have gone too far with his latest because Allen instantly recognized the word as being Japanese and so scampered off with a determined smirk to find Kanda, blissfully ignorant to the havoc he would cause the moment the samurai read the expression of love Allen had unknowingly thrust into his face with an innocent, "So, how about it Kanda?"

**Lull:** Often, he would start to get restless after being forced to rest all day, but even though Allen was still weak with blood loss and his broken arm after their latest mission, Lavi still dragged his poor friend out of the confines of his hospital bed, and every evening he was there, would pull him upright into his arms... Allen would more or less start to fall asleep against his shoulder, lulled peacefully by the sound of the redhead's heartbeat, and Lavi would gently ease their combined weight from one foot to the other; sweetly dancing to the tune of their souls and hearts and breathing...

**A Place:** Lavi's private eulogy was short and unspoken, whispered thoughts sent like a prayer, as he stared down at the freshly turned earth and let the tears fall... _I knew you would hurt me, if I took you in and made you a place in my heart... but never would you hurt me in lies, betrayal, or abuse... only in abandonment would I ever know the bitterness of the love I shared with you; for though I stare into your face so familiar and serene, you no longer smile back at me... and I weep for the love I still feel just as strong, but no longer have the one to whom it belongs to give to... I weep knowing I don't want to bear the pain, and weep harder still for the promise I made... that I would let you go, let you rest, and wait for the day when you fulfill your promise to me as well; that when it is my turn to close my eyes for the final time... when I open them again, you are to be the first face I see... and yes... I find the warmth of comfort in that simple thought as I keep you alive, unfading, still in my heart..._

**Heartfelt:** "Do you love her?" Lavi whispered and Allen's fingers froze mid-circle on the hilt of his sword, his eyes lifting to across the marketplace towards the _she_ in question as she sampled the flowers lining the venders stall, and the Knight leaned back with a sigh, sinking easily into the gypsy's warmth at his back, pondering the redhead's question; it had been laced with a tiniest hint of uncertainty and Lavi's arms had tightened just enough for Allen to feel his fear as he considered his answer: "Yes I do," he said quietly, eyeing Lenalee across the way, "... but not like Kanda does..." he added quickly when Lavi stiffened, gesturing with a smile to the gruff Knight Protector as he gently inclined his head to smell the rose Lenalee had offered to him, and Allen smiled as Kanda visibly softened when she giggled and then turned towards his redhead, gently twisting in his embrace to place a tender kiss to the gypsy's forehead and whispered, "-and, not as much as I love you..."

**Breathe:** Well, in hindsight, Lavi couldn't exactly say he had been expecting it... but after a good half hour of watching Allen writhe on the floor with his face buried in his arms and tears pouring down his face, asking the boy every thirty seconds if he was all right, and shooing away both Kanda and Lenalee who occupied adjoining rooms in the hotel after assuring them both Allen was not going to die, he could only shake his head repeatedly and repeat that his crazy impersonation of Madonna (which ended with Allen visualizing his friend in a coned breastplate and animatedly flapping his hands like a moron) had not been _that _funny, only to watch his already barely breathing Allen dissolve into hysterics again.

**Please:** "Please..." he whispered, offering no explanation but opening his arms limply, oblivious it seemed that it was mid-afternoon and how the cafeteria wasn't even empty; he could only pray his friend would hear, and respond... Allen quirked his head to the side like he did sometimes, just for a moment, taking in his face and carefully studying his eye, and after appraising him stepped easily forward with surprising long, even strides eating up the distance... Lavi lifted Allen completely off his feet when he was close enough, crushing his ribs, burying his face into a warm, white-clad shoulder, erasing all the space between them, and Allen just let himself be held... guiding Lavi's face gently into the hollow just below their heads and burrowed into him, shielding them both from view with his arms, and without knowing why, felt tears slip down his face... He didn't know why, he didn't know what was wrong and he didn't know how to fix it, but the look on Lavi's face was startling and it wrung his heart in a white-knuckled, terrible grip... like Lavi was _dying_, like his soul was crying out in wretched sobs and pleading for release... so he came willingly, he stayed, he held on, he whispered, and he cried... when Lavi released him just enough to whisper in his ear, "I'm so sorry...", and kissed his cheek, soft and sweet, tender lips pressed against the scar tracing his cheekbone, uncaring of who saw... they sank slowly to the ground, and Lavi choked and swallowed hard; passing an arm over his face, his mouth set in a straight, trembling line before he whispered, "I don't want to forget..." ... and Allen just waited... releasing Lavi but retaining a firm hold of the other's wrist, and after a few moments of passing silence between them, he leaned in close so only Lavi would hear, guided by some unnamed instinct it seemed, and murmured truthfully, "... Lavi..." – and Lavi's breathing caught – "... I love you..." – and Lavi whimpered – "... I won't forget you..." – and Lavi started to weep – "... and I will never, ever regret making you a part of my life..." – and Lavi bent forward, bowing himself at Allen's knees, his whole body wracked with rising cries... but his white-haired friend made no note or shamed him for it... Allen leaned forward, pressed his nose deep into Lavi's hair and breathed him in, and after a moment or two, kissed his head... and Lavi let his forehead fall to rest against Allen's knee and whispered in return, his voice broken and so full of care; "I love you... I love you so much..."

**Great Escape:** Allen was relieved when Lavi finally decided to slide in between him and Kanda when the argument he had started with the gruff samurai had grown into something far more heated than usual, and gratefully took cover against the redhead's back as Kanda tried to rage around him, snarling curses over Lavi's light-hearted words and beginning to wear down the taller Exorcist's sagely patience until finally, with a great sigh and the slyest smile Allen had ever seen his friend compose, Lavi raised his voice to call across the cafeteria to their friend who had just walked in: "Oh Lenalee – Yuu-chan has been hopelessly in love with you since you first met, like forever ago~!" to which Kanda immediately turned the brightest shade of red Allen had ever seen, eyes glinting like sharp steel before Allen found himself suddenly lifted off his feet and into his redhead's arms, laughing hysterically at Lavi's doomed expression as they sped off, the sound of Mugen slicing the air behind them their only warning before the enraged samurai gave chase.

**Mirror:** "Don't go over there!" Allen cried, his five-year-old arms grappling fiercely for the redhead as Lavi continued towards the mirror, nonplussed as Allen hugged his arm, whispering hurriedly, "-there's a scary monster over there!" to which Lavi patted his head and continued on, wrapping his arm around the smaller boy's shaking shoulders to gently steer him towards the foreboding glass before them, frowning as Allen pointed towards the 'monster; supposedly reflected there, trying to understand as he whispered sweet nothings to his upset friend and turned them away, silently wondering as to why Allen had been pointing at himself...

**Rescue:** Lavi glanced back up from the rim of the toilet bowl, his eye glazed and skin glistening with sweat, unsteadily wiping at the edge of his mouth as he watched Allen kneel back down next to him and patiently brush more of his red hair back behind his ears, and couldn't help but inquire roughly, sarcastically, "Saving me...?" to which Allen answered him with a smile and a wink, "... Only my damsel in distress... I'm here to help you fight the terrible dragon that is your stomach."

**Disconnected:** It was funny, in the ironic twist of the word, because for once, they were both just fine... Allen was fine... He wasn't ill or injured, and fresh from an assignment that had been surprisingly successful; ordinarily he would have been tired, but pleased with how everything had turned out... and yet, here they were... Allen had turned up in the library about the same time most of the Order would have turned in for the night, wanting only to whisper a soft goodnight to Lavi before he too went to bed, and Lavi in turn studied him carefully with a clear eye; reading the pain essence he could not completely discern... he softly asked Allen about his concern, and his friend, his friend could not answer him confidently enough... so Lavi gained his feet, left his paperwork behind, and tenderly took Allen by the hand... several minutes later found Lavi in Allen's room, both somehow tucked into the narrow bed, a normal human arm thrown over his chest, a normal hand wrapped softly around his own... and as Lavi lay there and listened to the soft breathing against his shoulder, he realized something... thinking back on how Allen had briefly told him of the disconnection he felt, how it weighed down his very soul at times – here now... right now... as Allen regained his sense of belonging, of being human, as he slept; Lavi began to understand that he too felt the same – he felt human in these moments as well...

O-o-o-o-O

_Thank you so much for reading! Reviews and critique are cherished. For now though, I just look forward to posting more tomorrow (hopefully!)! Until then!_


	10. That Great Comfort

_D: Where the freak did the time go? I am so, so late... T_T To anyone who cares - I'm so sorry! I hardly had a spare moment to myself for this, I either didn't have my laptop with me when I did have time or I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse after getting home. *sigh* I owe you guys big... I'll do my best to keep up on these until we do get to the (current) end of them... _

_I have several favorites in this bunch – a good half of them are very dear to me (prompts such as Touch, Unconditional, Faith, Hidden, Night, Breakfast...;3). I certainly hope as you read that you will enjoy them just as much. Not much to say otherwise, except perhaps that the last three: Falling, Breaking, & Caught – are grouped together because they form a single mini-story. ^^_

_I promise, I'm not dead yet. ^_^" so please enjoy reading, and if you smile at least once, I'll consider it a success. _

O~o~o~o~O

**Uncertain:** "Are you sure this will cheer you up?" Allen had to ask as Lavi combed his white hair so it fell just right over the headband Lavi had tied to him, and tugged on the red bangs covering Lavi's closed right eye, uncertain as he was given a smile and a still warm eyepatch that he hesitantly tied around his head before, with a tired chuckle, Lavi poked the corners of Allen's mouth and lifted them into a smile, "Yup, it's cheering me up just fine."

**Salute:** Allen had to bury his face into Lavi's shoulder to keep from laughing hysterically as the red head drew himself up tall in a military salute, heels of his boots slapping against each other as he pulled a mock-serious face and yelled an obnoxious "Sir yes sir!" down the hall at Bookman's retreating back.

**Bucket:** "I am not this Lavi you speak of... It is as clear as this bucket on my head that I am: Bucket Man!"

**Touch:** Allen hesitantly reached out across the bed, his black fingers disappearing in the darkness of Lavi's form, the redhead's light breathing the only indication of his dear friend's location as he scooted closer, flinching as his fingertips ghosted over Lavi's cheek, waiting for the redhead to voice his protest of being touched by something so disgusting and cursed, but found himself stunned as Lavi leaned into the touch, gratefully cupping his hand to his face with his own shaking fingers, a watery smile pressing into his palm as he caught Lavi's tears.

**Draw (In):** Allen had grown up to be cautious when it came to his true self, the self that was bleeding and crying in the deepest recesses of his heart, and found it difficult to surrender to anyone because of the fear that rose up instantly in his throat, long years of warily hiding and being attacked too hard to shake off... but then, Lavi strode into his life, all empty smiles and shining eyes, and taught him how to accept himself, how to love and cherish that part of his hear that'd all but crumbled away, and as he grew, Lavi changed in his wake, and real smiles began to light his face, a true light began to shine in his eye, soft and loving, and as Allen learned to love himself, Lavi learned to love and give himself fully to Allen like he had been meant to all along... Allen could only draw him in, unsure but unable to resist, and finally, in the silence, breathing in his dearest person as Lavi snuggled down against his chest, arms pulling him closer, Allen gave his heart away, stunned as Lavi held it in his hands and smiled up at him, a promise clear and unspoken on his lips as he gently kissed Allen's forehead with a tender smile, wiped his tears away with the gentlest of touches, and finally, after so long, Allen allowed himself to fall, unafraid of being caught, and laughed, truly laughed, for the first time.

**Eternal:** "NO!" Allen screamed, beating his fist down on Lavi's chest as hard as he was able, fighting through his terror to beg the heart beneath the torn skin to beat once again, demanding the redhead to wake up, to breathe, to smile; crying and yelling through the rain and blood, praying and screaming, "Please don't leave me," through the sorrow in his throat before giving in to his grief, weeping openly into Lavi's hair as his world broke and crumbled around him and his heart shattered into a million pieces... all was lost and he was fading, his own heartbeat starting to shake and stutter in his chest like a broken bird, and as he kissed Lavi's skin for the last time, a smile touched his mouth and he traced a tender "I love you Lavi" with his lips even as his heart started to break, his pleas dying into hysterical sobs as Lavi remained silent beneath him, the ghost of his last smile still soft upon his face as Allen cupped his cheeks with shaking fingers, fighting to find his breath again as he pressed his forehead to Lavi's, managing to whisper before closing his eyes with a sigh, darkness encasing his body as he gave in and fell into nothingness... his body slowly starting to warm again as he blinked in sudden light, a soft laugh reaching his ears before two hands cupped his face, drawing him close as a whisper touched his skin: "I love you too Allen..."

**Confrontation:** "What the hell is wrong with you?" Allen finally snapped, too many days of receiving a cold shoulder from Lavi and too many hours without speaking taking their toll, giving him added strength as he grabbed the redhead's shoulders before Lavi could ghost by, slamming him into the nearest wall with a snarl, almost happy to see the grimace of surprise that broke through the solemn mask Lavi's face had been sporting since their last mission and Allen's scary trip to the hospital, but he only heightened the pressure, demanding what was wrong, what he had done, what could've possibly gone wrong for Lavi to suddenly start hating him for a reason he couldn't grasp, until finally tears appeared in the blank emerald eye, cascading down Lavi's cheeks as his façade finally broke and they crumbled to the floor; Allen, more confused than ever, dumbfounded and concerned as Lavi crushed him to his chest, voice broken and wet as he trembled out a hurt, "Hate... what the hell... I almost I _lost _you... and I couldn't... do _anything_..."

**Unconditional:** "What about me could you possibly love?" Allen asked one night, when the stress of his burden had been particularly heavy and his usual remedy of sharing a bed and stories with Lavi wasn't working as well as he'd hoped, and Lavi paused, his fingers stilling on Allen's nape, looking bemused and concerned all at once as he soaked in the question; his silence stretching until Allen was about to call it back, but found himself silenced as a smiling mouth pressed to the bleeding pentacle on his forehead, shivers dancing down his spine as Lavi trailed the words, "... Because you're beautiful..." down his scar, over his chin, the tip of his nose, over and over again until Allen felt happy tears fill his eyes and slip down his cheeks, a soft laugh filling the air between them as Lavi brushed them away tenderly and rubbed his thumb over Allen's smile before pulling him in close and tight; "You're beautiful Allen..."

**First:** Lavi glanced over to where Allen slept next to him, softly alerted by a series of gentle quivers and jerks; it seemed the other was sleeping restlessly... Lavi looked up at the sliding door of the train compartment, and when he saw no one peeking through, wrapped an arm around Allen's shoulders and drew him closer... He gently rocked his friend from side to side for a few moments, and trembling a little himself in consideration, tenderly kissed Allen on the forehead and whispered, "Easy, my little wonder..." and Allen hazily opened his eyes in that instant... he looked up at Lavi, confusion and uncertainty written all over his face as he whispered, "Lavi...?" – and Lavi hummed a quiet affirmative – "... Did... did you... kiss me?" and Lavi clenched a little internally, fearing he had gone too far; his arm around Allen unconsciously tightened for a moment and he softly admitted again, and Allen fell silence for several moments... before... "Thank you..." and Lavi jolted in surprise, looking down at Allen's face leaning into his shoulder, "You... you're not upset?" and Allen shook his head slowly, his eyes downcast as he mumbled, "No one's kissed me like that... Not since Mana... didn't even know I missed it..." and something in Lavi relaxed... his arm tightened around Allen again, drew the younger even closer to his side, and murmured partially into white hair, "Bad dream?" and when Allen nodded and swallowed, Lavi smiled; let his eye close, and whispered, "Then I'm glad I woke you up in a way that helped you remember..." and Allen curled into him with a sigh.

**Backwards:** Once when they were wandering the streets on assignment and ever on the constant search for Akuma, instead of walking side by side with his best friend, Lavi flipped around and began to pace evenly backwards in step with Allen's long stride; earning himself several concerned glances from random passers-by and a wide smile from the one already accustomed to his wild changes in behavior, and when his white-haired companion simple asked why the sudden change, Lavi answered with a grin, "So I can watch your back around here, and you can watch mine."

**Faith:** From the very beginning, all he had ever really known was the laws and rule of the Bookman Clan... outside beliefs and culture blended smoothly into the lines of the history books, but never upon his own heart, his heart that did not exist... But Allen... Allen Walker, the Destroyer of Time, the bringer of change, who never once forced him to believe or partake in anything and allowed his quiet ways to be carefully observed... and as time wore on and their surprising bond began to nurture and grow, the Bookman-in-training discovered something inside himself that he had never known before... all because Allen had never asked him to believe in anything, but rather harbored such faith himself, had infected Lavi... even one such as Lavi... with curiosity.

**Hidden:** "There is a hidden world," Lavi had once hissed heavily at him in an unusual display of frustration, "-where things go on people in the light would never believe..." and Allen studied him carefully for a moment, but his face was a mask of surprising calm when he walked forward and gathered Lavi's face in his hands, drew him gently closer and Lavi felt lips press softly against his temple... and as he started to tremble from the unexpected tenderness, he heard a familiar whisper speak to him, "And there is another hidden world... where things go on that people in the dark would never believe..."

**Saddle:** "Soap and water for her saddle, Allen, and we'll get ol' Nightwish here ready for you to ride," Lavi said cheerfully at the other's slightly stricken expression as he stroked the black mare's velvet nose, understanding Allen wasn't entirely keen on the idea of riding still, but hoping the manual labor would help get his mind off it... and as he watched his friend throw his full energy into the work, it did help him in the end.

**Night:** He wished, for about the millionth time, that he wasn't so sick as he was now... He would have much rather be in the other room and having a good time with his comrades, his friends; sharing stories and laughter – but no, his fevered chills would have none of it... and the longer he lay in the darkness of the star-lit night in his room, the more isolated and lonely he felt... but, just before he was about to fall asleep to the feel of his own tears wishing him a good night, his door was thrown open wide and light fled into the room, and the silhouette of a familiar soul strode right in like he owned it... Allen knew it was Lavi without the other even needing to say a word, and when his friend lay down beside him with a cheery sigh and a "-scootch over, I'm barging in-", bursting with stories and humor to retell to a fresh audience, Allen could have cried again; this time with relief... he hadn't been forgotten after all...

**Wish:** Allen couldn't help but laugh out loud when he both felt and heard Lavi's stomach growl beneath his head; they had been stretched out on the grass for the better part of an hour, just watching the stars come out, and Lavi had turned himself into Allen's unofficial pillow; but just as Lavi was making to laugh off the mild embarrassment and suggest they go harass Jerry for some food (an idea his friend in his right mind would never refuse), Allen grabbed his arm and pointed up to the sky at a brilliant streak of light almost instantly lost in the blanket of night, and with a smile that shamed the sun said brightly, "Make a wish, Lavi!" and obediently, Lavi closed his eye and wished... he wished these kinds of moments would continue for a lifetime... and beyond...

**Breakfast:** "Pull an all-nighter again?" Allen wondered aloud as he watched his best friend; still in his sleep clothes, hair in a tangled disarray, barely squinting through his one visible eye, idly itching at his side with one hand and carrying a bowl wafting softly of his favorite breakfast with the other to sit down at the cafeteria table next to him, nod heavily at the question he had been asked, and slowly start to eat... "Eating breakfast?" – "Mm-hmm..." – Allen put his chin into his palm and watched the redhead pick his food apart before posing another question – "Lavi, do you know what time it is?" – "Mmph... around nine?" – and Allen's smile grew, "Nine, yes... at night."

**Falling:** It was supposed to be a good day – a perfect day... Walking the mountains and overlooking one of the most breathtaking waterfalls they had ever seen, Allen and Lavi had been looking forward to this for weeks, and perhaps, it had made them a little less cautious; in one minute, Allen had cheerfully stepped just ahead to cross the bleached white rock passage overlooking one large waterfall and glanced back to laugh at something Lavi had said, and the next, he was falling – slipped on the water-slick rock and down he fell over the edge, yet somewhere overhead he heard Lavi cry out his name and a strong hand caught his wrist before he fell out of reach; Allen bounced and slammed into the rocks with a jolt of pain... Hazily, he regained his senses, but when he tried to move, discovered his left arm had wedged in one of the deep cracks that lined the waterfall's sides... He blinked painfully up at Lavi's desperate face looking down at him and said, "I'm stuck... I think my arm is broken..."  
><strong>Breaking:<strong> They were trapped, both of them – Lavi couldn't move or let go of Allen for fear of him falling or slipping and injuring himself further, and Allen with his left arm (and ultimately, his clawed anti-akuma weapon) broken and pinned in the deep groove left no hope of safely extracting himself... So, Lavi called for help through the use of his golem and Allen sent Timcanpy to help the Finders in town find them... and they waited... the day was drawing to a close and a chill settled in the air near the waterfall, and it wasn't long before Allen was soaked and shivering, pressed into the cold, algae-covered surface of the waterfall's edge and his back to the cascading water... he couldn't even feel Lavi's hands holding him up anymore... Lavi had managed to shift onto his belly on the rock and was holding Allen's right arm up with both his hands, and continually reassured Allen that he wouldn't let go... but between injury and cold, Allen was fading; he was losing both feeling and consciousness after three hours of being trapped in that position, playing a deadly game with the waterfall and the swift river below... Allen locked his gaze with Lavi's familiar emerald eye and pleaded over a tongue thick with fear and tears, "Don't leave me, please, don't let me go-" – "I'm right here, and I'm not leaving without you-" – "Please, don't let me go, don't let me go-" – "Never, you're going to be okay, just stay with me-" – "... Don't leave me..." – "Stay with me." – "... Don't leave..." – "Stay with me!" – "... Don't... go..." – "STAY WITH ME ALLEN!" ... and his consciousness faded into cool, encompassing black...  
><strong>Caught:<strong> When he awoke, his world was strangely light... he felt dangerously stiff and almost violently ill, his body temperature a strange cross between burning up and freezing cold... his eyes cracked open, slowly taking in his surroundings – a Finder, Toma he realized, was seated in the chair next to his bedside, and the other man stood when he realized Allen was awake; calling out toward a doorway for a doctor to come back, but someone else appeared far more quickly... Lavi burst into the room, both his hands wrapped up in gauze and fighting off two nurses as he did so, making determined strides to Allen's side... the redhead knelt over his friend, and Allen stared up at him in complete... amazement... he asked softly, "What happened to me...?" – "You broke your left arm, and tore the muscles in your right shoulder... you suffered some hypothermia, as did I..." and Lavi showed Allen his wrapped hands... Allen stared, and his eyes grew moist as he realized, "... You didn't let me go..." ... and Lavi smiled softly, leaned over, and pressed his forehead against Allen's temple... "I promised I'd never let you go..." ... Allen caught one of his wrists with his partially functioning right hand, drew it up to his face, and whispered with a teary smile, "... Thank you... Oh, Lavi... thank you for being there, thank you for catching me... thank you..." and Lavi's own smile widened a little, leaned in so only his friend could hear, and murmured amusedly, "I love you too..."

O~o~o~o~O

_I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments if you have any! Good night my friends. Until next time, take care. Loves! *sloppy salute, limps off to bed*_


	11. All I Need

_Wow... I really do fail. I'm sorry everyone – it's been a really rough week or so. Life needs to stop beating me upside the head. *sigh* Well, I have been looking forward to posting these since the last chapter, and I do apologize for being so late. A couple of these are AU, but aside from that, they're just fun, silly, serious, angsty – but hey, it's that much more fun that way. :D_

_On a side note – I drew a little something for the prompt "Banished". You can find it on my DeviantArt profile here (just remove and replace the parenthesis): http (colon) (double backslash) arithewarrior (dot) deviantart (dot) com (backslash) art (backslash) DGM-Banishment-225834189_

_As always, enjoy my friends. :)_

O-o-o-o-O

**Ocean:** Allen had always loved to run along the beach... And every morning, before dawn would even begin to paint the sky, he was stretching and warming up; breathing in ocean air and loving it, running miles in either direction along with shoreline until his body gave out... and then, one day, when the sun was high in the sky and he was pacing his way back, he met a boy... seated high up on a large grouping of craggy rocks with hair like fire and a grin like a jester, who called out to him with a wave and said, "You love to run; I can tell... someday, would you let me run with you?" ... And Allen did.

**Sand:** Lavi snorted back laughter at the sight; instead of swimming or playing around with the rest of the group, Kanda – as usual – was off by himself... he had found a thick pole buried deep into the ground and was currently meditating whilst perched on one foot, eyes closed in concentration... Lavi snagged Allen's attention and the two friends crept stealthily close, counted silently to three, and together grabbed the samurai's balancing foot and leg, knocking him clean off the pole – Kanda hit the ground with a strangled cry and, _seething _at being interrupted, rolled immediately back up to his feet to give chase after the two misfits making a harrowing escape back to the water, and smiled dangerously when they started panicking and screaming, "HE'S GONNA KILL US!" when they figured out he was gaining on them.

**Sky:** Sometimes, Lavi got lost in the sky... it was timeless, effortless, and unending; emotion incarnate painted into every color and every cloud and every breath of empty air... it was everything; everything he had never been, and a faint and faded desire within himself wishing he could be... and sometimes, when he was absorbed in the sky, Allen would discreetly watch him... wondering about the myriad of emotion that would play over Lavi's face, and open his mouth to ask...

**Pretend:** _I wanna pretend for a minute... just a minute... that none of this is real... _Lavi choked on the blood in his mouth; the harsh, rusty taste of it as he crawled over the field now slippery with more human life... he crawled, he dragged, he pulled himself along on his arms the long distance that separated him from... that separated him from... _Allen..._ he hummed softly, wincing in pain and relief, finding his friend on his back, his familiar face turned up toward the sky, breathing ragged and never deep enough... _Allen..._ and as Lavi reached him, the last channels of his energy bled themselves dry and left him drained, more dead than alive; so he simply collapsed, laying his head against Allen's chest, smelling only blood and listening to the weak pulse thrum gently against his ear... _I just want to go home... I want to go home with you... Allen, you _are _my home... Allen, please..._

**Illness:** He was dying, Lavi knew, as he shivered on the cold tiles of his prison, crawling inch by meager inch towards a corner to curl up in, his body racked in pain, head swimming, his illness growing all the more fatal as the Noah's parasites burned and burrowed under his skin... and as he reached the corner he collapsed there, breathing raggedly while he pulled himself into a painful ball, and waited for Death to come and take him away from that place; the thought relieved him so much his body grew slack and darkness started to seep into his vision, and he was just about to succumb when he hear someone shuffling over the floor nearby and a voice so familiar telling him to wake up, to hold on, _because the Destroyer of Time was coming for him, coming to fulfill his destiny_, and as Bookman slinked away, Lavi forced himself to sit upright, whimpering at the onslaught of pain the movement racked through his body, and forced himself to rest against the bars of his cell and willed his soul to stay if only just long enough to see Allen one last time...

**Difficult:** Lavi could feel himself sweating underneath Allen's scrutinizing stare, his hands moving on their own as he swept the three cups around the tabletop, expertly moving the ball to hide beneath one cup, then another, never lifting his gaze from Allen's face until just a trace of uncertainty began to light his silver eyes then stopped the cups and lined them up in a neat row, praying that for once – just once – he had managed to win a game against his crafty friend, and held his breath as Allen lifted his hand, concentrated etching his face as he thought out the puzzle presented before him before finally pointing to the center with a more than confident smirk on his face and Lavi lifted the cup and fell backwards in his seat with a defeated groan as he revealed the ball, frowning at Allen's soft laughter when he held up the ball and chucked it across the room with a scowl... who knew tricking Allen could be so difficult?

**Hands:** Allen winced at the sight of the smashed weapon as he helped Lavi into a sitting position, immediately reaching out for the redhead's hand, cradling the torn and bruised flesh gently with his own as Lavi sorrowfully gazed upon the broken hammer, trying to find a smile as his broken fingers shook against Allen's black palm, skin twisted and smeared a dark red, and forced out a strained chuckle as he gazed down at their hands: "Well look at that Allen... we match..."

**Inside-Out:** Lavi always believed that his persona was just that; a persona, a lie he brought to life with a quick wit and an even quicker smile, but then Allen Walker, the Destroyer of Time, the boy he was sentenced to watch as persona Forty Nine, walked into his life and proved him completely wrong, proved that his perfect smiles were empty, his wit was wasted without happiness behind it... but most of all, Allen proved that 'Lavi' wasn't simply a persona, wasn't a lie, but rather he, number Forty Nine, Bookman Junior, was the lie and that Lavi, true smiles, pure love, hearty laughter, had always been, would always be the true self he locked away in his heart... and would always be searching, reaching, waiting for the time he could finally emerge and become the truth.

**Hesitation:** Walking out of that meeting with Cross Marian and under the scrutinizing microscope of the Order's leadership that day, Lavi stared neutrally at the back of Allen's head as he walked down the hall; hesitant to garner the white-haired Exorcist's attention so as to avoid suspicion, but inside, he was full of questions and concern... but later, when he finally found his friend alone (no longer an easy task, but Allen had already taken to finding ways to escape his observer) in the antiques section of the library, there were no words that came to mind... and when Allen looked up at him with such a perplexing mix of determination and heartbreak, Lavi did the only thing he could think of... he sat down against the bookcase next to him and pulled his dear friend into his lap and against his chest... and when Allen limply leaned into him, drained and listless and aching, Lavi didn't hesitate again, and whispered softly, "... Rain or shine, Hell or high water... I'm here for you..."

**Leaving:** "I cannot believe we're actually doing this," Allen whispered, slightly unsure even as his body shook in a strange anticipation and he looked back at Headquarters for the last time, smiling softly as Lavi wrapped a bandaged arm around his shoulders and took the side of the map he was offered, wrapping his free hand over Lavi's waist, balancing them out as, with a limp and a smirk, his battered friend asked him if he was scared to be leaving in a playful tone, though Allen could hear the redhead's anxiety as well and he suddenly felt much bolder, knowing his unshakable companion was just as scared as he, all pretenses aside, and managed a laugh, pulling the map tight and heading off down the road, never once looking back again; eyes forward, jaw set, and heart steadfast as they starting forward towards their new future... together.

**Defenseless:** The first time Lavi awoke with Allen in his arms was only a few weeks into their budding friendship, when the mission they had been sent on got much too hot during the day and much too cold when the sun fell, and Lavi, stunned at the sudden, almost intimate proximity, could only stare in open wonder upon the white-haired boy who, so strong and firm in his eyes, lay cradled against his chest; for once peaceful and utterly defenseless, and he could feel something in his chest clench painfully when it dawned on him, that this beautiful soul reached out through his emptiness, his coldness, the lies, the pain, and found Lavi there beneath it all and trusted him, allowed himself to sleep; knowing, somehow, that Lavi wouldn't fail him... and Lavi, suddenly warm, pulled Allen just a little closer and breathed him in and then, as his eye closed, a strange feeling trembling through his body, he smiled; a true, unconditional, unburdened smile, for the very first time, into Allen's hair.

**Strength:** It was a strength he didn't know he possessed, carrying his redhead so easily, but Allen wasn't willing to contemplate until this trial was over because Lavi needed him so he couldn't fail, even when just the tiniest sliver of doubt could remind his body that carrying Lavi's much larger, broken, and terrifyingly limp frame on his own straining, wounded back was impossible under every other circumstance.

**Bright:** Allen sent his best 'I-am-not-amused' stare at his redheaded companion who only grinned brightly at him despite the glare he was being given and Allen sighed, frustrated that his question hadn't been taken seriously at all and that twisting doubt in his gut about just how much of a role he had played in making Lavi's smiles real, as his friend had claimed, only worsened has he turned away, despondent and worried, until two arms wrapped around him to keep him from leaving, and Lavi hugged him close to his chest, voice soft and warm against his ear as Lavi smiled into his skin, "Allen... _you _are my smile..."

**Haircut:** "Lavi, I'm getting cold..." Allen caught his friend's gaze out of the corner of his eye, but he hadn't really needed to say anything – Lavi could see the goosebumps flecking Allen's bare shoulders and sides and how he bounced anxiously, eager to go swim – Lavi merely nodded with a grin and a "... Just a minute..." as he ran his fingers from root to tip down Allen's damp hair once and then twice; gauging the length and ensuring he had given his friend an even haircut, and then with a pat to his shoulder instructed him lightly, "You're done – go jump in the lake now, impatient!"

**Fan:** It was that reoccurring moment; when his unfailing attempts to make the group laugh would end in utter ruin and receive only blank stares and bemused faces, he would always catch Allen with just the tiniest hint of a smile... sure, his best friend wouldn't hesitate to slap him upside the head whenever he was being overly stupid in his silliness, but still, he always paid attention... more than the girls Lavi flirted with, more than Bookman ever gave him the credit for, Allen would _always _hear him regardless of the value of his words – his best friend was, in the truest sense of the word, his biggest fan.

**Dearest:** "Keep your step light," Allen instructed in a whisper when Lavi stumbled in the darkness of the cave – it was pitch black in this place and neither Exorcist could even see his own hand in front of his face; only Allen could make sense of the winding tunnels through the use of his left eye locking in on all the Akuma lurking in the different paths around them... and as the white-haired boy waited patiently for Lavi to make his way back to his side, he smiled in relief when he felt fingers find his arm and slide back down to entwine with his hand – it meant Lavi was still uninjured and okay... and as they started to walk, Lavi let Allen lead them forward through the encompassing darkness, their entwined hands pressed into the small of Allen's back so as not to let his grip fail him, he trusted his friend with his dearest wish in that moment; that they would make it through this alive, and together...

**Abuse:** The day Lavi single-handedly brought the Apocalypse upon the Order was sunny and bright, with clear blue skies pockmarked with fluffy white clouds that he kept his focus on as Bookman and three other representatives of the Clan stood stunned speechless as Lavi withdrew his membership in favor of a white-haired boy that had just saved the world and sat, frozen, as he witnessed Lavi being shredded to pieces with angry words, insults, and physical blows, all the while standing placidly at the window, taking the abuse without a word as the world as he knew it crumbled and crashed around him, silent tears trembling down his cheeks, a peaceful smile on his face.

**Banished:** He accepted their banishment without comment or remorse; he didn't breathe a word as they beat his already breaking body and slapped his wrists into chilling iron; to leave him in the figurative stockade to rot... his dreams were ruthless, of crowds who mocked and laughed and shamed everything he was and all he wanted to be, but he didn't care about them... he only cared for one... who at last made his way through the audience of his failed life and lowered the hood of his cloak; and Allen walked quietly forward, not hearing the jeers and scorn being tossed and thrown so easily around him, but rather, put all his attention on Lavi... his precious, precious friend... he knelt in front of the wooden stockade and threaded his left hand through Lavi's limp right, and sweetly kissed his temple... and the crowd quieted, both confused and intrigued as Lavi lifted his head at last, his eye sunken and red and burning as he took in Allen's face and trembling with the want to cry... and Allen pulled in close, pressed their faces together; and with Lavi's shallow breath brushing raggedly on his lips he whispered, "You're not alone... never forget that, I'll never leave you alone... I'm here..." and Lavi, beyond all reason and logic, cried tears of liquid clear against Allen's face...

**Separated:** "You are sure he can see me?" Lavi rasped, gesturing to the two-way mirror stretched along the nearest wall while his captor, an Akuma in the guise of a policeman, nodded without a word, readying the heavy iron shackles with a gleeful grin as Lavi dragged himself towards the glass, knowing Allen was far too wounded to come through the glass, that his own escape had to be postponed, yet he knew he would be saved, sooner or later, that Allen would come for him when he could, so he pressed a hand to the glass, imagining that Allen was there, that he was safe on the other side, fighting through the cheap ropes the Noah had fashioned, about to make his escape... but Lavi knew Allen, desperate and crying, determined and shaking, was pressing his own black palm to match his, and Lavi raised bloody finger and began to write to write three words, backwards, so Allen could read them perfectly, his pledge of love in a stain of red, and then stilled, breathing, staring through his own reflection to where he knew Allen's eyes were, and smiled.

**Prison:** Later, nearly everyone would wonder how these two had not known each other before being dumped into the correctional institution for minors – both normally good kids from opposite sides of town, who shared an uncommon likeness... Allen for attacking his stepfather when the man would not stop beating his mother, and Lavi for running away from home and from his father who had convinced the judge that the redhead had tried to kill him... they had both been arrested the same night, booked by the same person, and placed in the same cell; and at first, they eyed each other distrustfully, angrily, each dealing with his own level of betrayal and hurt... but slowly, they formed an odd bond of sorts as time progressed in that mutual hell... bonded over several games of poker with peppermints as the prize, over Lavi secretly handing Allen a second roll at dinner, over Allen flipping another inmate the birdie when the guy started making fun of Lavi's eyepatch... they both figured the other wasn't a bad person, but rather had been stuck in this place by the unlucky chance of trying to change his life, and unable to get it in the end... and they were strong-willed and intelligent in spite of their hard lives and the poor examples in place around them, and after getting to know their family histories in the weekly visits the institution's counselor could not figure out how their want to honor and defend what they cherished could be so acutely developed and their want for justice so brightly impassioned... they were like twin stars falling; two souls sinking as they searched for something to give them meaning, to make them want to rise up in spite of the failures and try again to make something right for themselves and their lives... and without even needing the actual words; gaining the understanding of his other's life was what gave them both the reason they were looking for, the meaning their hearts were craving, and when they were together, for the first time in either of their lives - they did not feel so alone anymore... they would talk long into the nights about anything and everything, about their lives, their childhoods, their dreams, their ideals, their fears... gained a respect and trust for each other that borderlined into overprotection in that prison... but it wasn't the counseling, the lectures, and the sacrifice of time that pulled them through... when they did finally walk out those doors as free men, they did so side by side as lifelong friends... having taught each other the greatest lesson of belonging, understanding, accepting, and forgiveness they had ever learned.

O-o-o-o-O

_I hope you enjoyed them! I look forward to your thoughts and comments. Thank you for reading! _


	12. Record Every Moment

_Hello everyone! I'm really excited to share these – they were so much fun to write and read. We have two AU prompts "Willing" and "Airplane", with the rest fitting in the general storyline. I have several favorites, I certainly hope you'll find something to your tastes as well. ^_^_

_Enjoy them, my friends – much love!_

O-o-o-o-O

**Real:** "Are you... real...?" Allen whispered, caught in the clutches of hope as Lavi pulled him out of the nightmare; his once lifeless, frozen, broken body now warm and flawless beneath Allen's hands as he cupped Lavi's face, eyes blurring with tears to find his redhead smiling softly, kissing his forehead softly; comforting and alive as Lavi chuckled into his hair, brushing his tears away with practiced ease: "I'm real..."

**Shepherd:** They had been standing in the middle of the dusty dirt path for several minutes, watching the traffic go by – dozens and dozens of heavy-coated sheep passing from one hillside to the next, kept in check by two enormous dogs who had to have been at least part wolf; running back and forth along their flanks and barked to guide as they went, and when the end of the procession finally came, they spotted a man with a long-handled stick; gently bumping the smaller sheep in the back along... Allen and Lavi called out a greeting, and when they received a friendly reply, Lavi asked, "Aren't you worried about the dogs snapping at your sheep ever?" to which the man replied with a warm smile, "No, not a bit... I've trained those two since they were pups to guard my sheep and my pigeons back at home – they know my voice, as my sheep do..." and the man tipped his head as he passed them by... but Lavi could only shake his head and whisper, "... a wolf learning not to be a wolf..." and Allen playfully buffed his side with a knowing smile, "...-like a Bookman learning not to be a Bookman... who's your shepherd then?" –and Lavi paused, thought about it, and then smiled; he wrapped a loose arm around Allen's shoulders and whispered the answer in his young friend's ear: "You."

**Eyelashes:** It started one day when Lavi, probably too bored to focus on anything important at the time, drew Allen up close and stared down at his eyelashes, using his thumbnail to measure their length and, when finding they were as long as his nail, laughed heartily when Allen flushed a scandalized red, growling when Lavi gasped out how _absolutely lovely _his lashes were before pulling the redhead down, using the extended nails of his cursed hand to measure and effectively silencing Lavi when he proved with his more pointed thumbnail that Lavi's lashes were even longer and, therefore, far more girly.

**Willing:** Allen quietly guided his sniffling friend up the front steps of his house; his bookbag slung over one shoulder and Lavi's hand in his... he called out softly and received the familiar reply with footsteps from down the hall, and when Mana entered the room, he took in his nine-year-old child and his quietly crying friend (who had to have been two or three years his senior), and as the older man knelt down to one knee and invited them both closer, Allen explained in a forlorn whisper: "Mana, Lavi's grandfather is gone... but he can't stop crying... could you hug him...?" and Mana took in the serious face full of such childlike faith in the safety of the older man's embraces, and when he quietly opened his arms to them both with a willing "I can try... come here...", Allen tugged Lavi forward... and when Mana lifted the redhead gently to sit on his knee and wrap a strong arm around his smaller shoulders, Lavi melted into him with a sigh and more tears; one hand now clutching at the loose folds of Mana's shirt, and the other still holding Allen's tightly.

**Culture:** It was certainly a culture shock for the British-born-and-bred young Exorcist the first time he was called to go to Turkey, and entering that beautiful cathedral in the country capital; everyone, absolutely _everyone _was greeted with welcoming arms and kisses on each cheek – Allen didn't have a _clue _what to do with even the idea of kissing anyone, let alone a complete stranger; he had grown up with a ten-foot radius of personal space around himself and only three people in his life had ever managed to comfortably breach that... and he flinched unexpectedly when Lavi laughed brightly in understanding of the expression on his young friend's face, took him easily by the shoulders, and said with a grin, "Now, don't be like that!" as he kissed Allen playfully, sweetly, on either cheek... and laughed again when he kicked back and saw that Allen had turned a fantastic shade of red.

**Horseshoes:** It was Lavi who kicked it up out of the cobble and dirt and sent it bouncing down the street – Allen picked up his pace a bit and bent over to pick the object up; a silver colored horseshoe that had certainly seen better days, chipped and bent out of shape and a nail rusted into one of the holes... but Allen kept it regardless of its poor condition, smiling only at Lavi when the redhead did attempt to crack a joke about it, and only thanked his friend for kicking him up a bit of luck.

**History:** "Are you sure you really want to give it up?" Allen whispered, concerned after catching the familiar gleam in Lavi's eye dim significantly after being forced to burn his work, all those years within the Order deemed too biased now to be accepted by an ex-Clansman, now wasted and curling underneath the flames, turning to ash before their eyes, and Lavi, somber and purposeful, allowed his last work to fall before turning to Allen and pulling him close, a soft smile pressing to his hair as Lavi breathed out a quiet, "It's hard, but... I still have our future to look forward to... and trust me, I'll write it down, every moment, until we become a part of history in our own right..."

**Purify:** Allen jumped the last ten feet down the side of the cliff to where Lavi lay and landed with violence upon his knees, but there was no time left – pentacle markings had already begun to pop up and scatter over his friend's exposed skin, so Allen lifted Lavi up into his lap and pressed a hand to the gaping wound where the Akuma bullet had entered his body, and with a silent prayer, blue-white light shot from his fingers and into Lavi, pulling the virus back out... Allen drew the deadly poison into himself, where he could isolate and neutralize it all the more effectively and where it could do his friend no more harm... and when it was done, Allen leaned back with bated breath, resisting the remaining dredges of the virus with a grimace... but he stopped when cold fingertips brushed his hand, and he looked down to see Lavi, covered in dirt and ash and sweat, staring up wearily, but gratefully, at him; a real smile brightening his tired face.

**Pawprints:** "This is certainly one of the strangest chases I've ever been on," Lavi muttered with a shake and a light smile as he watched Allen kneel to the ground and pick up a twig of leaves, tossing it aside and pressing his fingers down into the moist earth and the pawprint formed in it... they had been tracking this mysterious wolf who seemed to have bonded with a piece of Innocence, and had learned to communicate with humans... and then Allen rose back to his feet with a smile of triumph, gesturing his companion to follow up, and a cry of "Just a few hours ahead of us Lavi!" ... and Lavi smiled, shrugged, and took up the chase again.

**Airplane:** "Lavi..." – "... Almost there..." – "... _Lavi..._" – "... We're about to take off, just keep breathing..." – "... Lavi, I'm seriously going to throw up..." – "... Easy buddy, you're just fine – here, take my hand; you can squeeze as hard as you need to..." – "... Okay..." – "... Allen... _Allen..._ Allen, please just don't break my fingers... Allen...?" – "... Is it over yet...?..." – "... *sigh*... No Allen, we aren't even off the ground yet..." – "... How did I let you talk me into this...?..." – "... Just breathe, the plane is going to start moving really fast now-" – "_LAVI!_" – "It's okay~!... _Easy easy easy_... We're going up... You feel that...?" – "... It's... weightless... -like your hammer..." – "... Yeah... Yeah it is..."

**Towel:** "How old are you?" Allen laughed as the sight of his best friend, soaking wet and covered in snow from romping around outside for the last few hours; Allen had remained indoors and had just watched from the window, still recovering from a nasty bout of the flu he had picked up on his last assignment, but still he greeted Lavi nonetheless and tossed the heavy towel he carried over his friend's head, smiling as Lavi laughed breathlessly and began to squeeze the excess water out of his red tresses.

**Helper:** Lavi would never understand what it was about Allen that got to him – from the first day they met, it was like they were just drawn to each other in a magnetic pull of fate, and though it was soft at first, it grew stronger with every day that passed... Lavi rarely had to wonder what Allen was going to do or what he might need, because it was like some part of him already knew... handing him the item he needed before he even reached for it, protecting him in the thick of a fight with an Akuma when he could no longer make it alone, knowing when he needed to be distracted and when he needed to vent and always, _always _knowing the right thing to say that would make the inner turmoil cease... and once, when Allen leaned into his side with a saddened, thoughtful face, he wondered aloud how Lavi had always understood so much about him, that they seemed to move to the same dance they'd never practiced together, and Lavi just laughed softly; leaned his cheek against Allen's head, and explained quietly, "You've just always made sense to me, because you're everything I'm not... everything I didn't know some part of me had been wishing I could be... you're my everything..."

**Slip:** There wasn't anything he could have done... it was just too late; the Akuma slammed into the brick building an instant before Allen reached him – catching the madly cackling creature and slicing into the bulk of its mechanical body, destroying the Akuma and setting free the soul, but the damage of the battle had been done – rubble where the home had once been, and Allen hit his knees with a scream... there had been a little girl trapped inside... but before he could do anything more, even as he weakly reached toward the collapsed corner where he knew she had been hiding, another strong body rammed into his side and jerked him to his feet, pulled him swiftly away before his brain could completely process what had happened, but they didn't stop until his back hit a different solid wall, and after a few moments, he weakly opened his eyes... seeing nothing but emerald and blood and failure, his breathing shallow and clipped, but felt a forehead find his own and hands filthy from the fight slide as gently as possible into his sweaty hair, and Lavi didn't breathe a word... didn't say he could have done better, didn't say there wasn't anything he could have done... and Allen, trembling and breathless and weeping without even a single sob, finally latched onto Lavi's familiar gaze and saw only the acceptance of their powerlessness, their helplessness, how fallible they really were, and the soft apology for something that wasn't even his friend's fault until Allen sank into him, drained and aggrieved for the lives that had been lost; for the sweet little girl with the bright blue eyes, who had trusted them to the very last breath... and when he did find his feet again, he pushed away from the wall and against Lavi's side, walked with him through the destroyed block with a quivering sigh and brushing away tears with fingers already coated in ash and blood and sweat – supported and supporting all the way.

**Samurai:** Lavi had very nearly worried himself sick when he finally saw them in the distance, though what he did see didn't look very human – one of his friends on the back of the other, like a many-limbed creature in the dusk light... "Yuu-chan... Allen!" he cried and ran for him; Allen was _carrying _their samurai comrade on his back, Kanda's left leg black and shredded, splinted from knee to ankle, and Allen had bound his own hands together to make sure he wouldn't drop Kanda during the three hour trek back... Lavi stopped just short of them and drew Allen's face against his own with a whisper of fear and relief, to which Allen nodded, his eyes red, and explained shortly that Kanda needed help; the long-haired Japanese man's head lolling unconscious against Allen's neck... Lavi cut the ropes from Allen's wrists and pulled the samurai from his back and into his own arms; a soft urging on his lips of, "Come on... let me take care of you two..."

**Dreams:** One night, Allen sincerely believed Mana had come back to life... the boy didn't know how or why, but standing before him was the foster father he loved, alive and well, and he could not help it, he was overcome... but everyone he tried to tell could only shake their heads at him sadly and tell him he was wrong; that Mana Walker was not there, and he needed to stop doing this to himself, but Allen, who had seen, heard, and felt his father's warmth swore up and down he was telling the truth... but the next morning, Allen slowly opened his eyes and realized... it had all only been a dream... and he did not cry, but his heart did weep, and a tear or two did escape his eyes as he lay in his bed, consumed with a bitter sorrow... and a short while later, Lavi came to see if he was ready to go, and found his friend struggling to come to grips with the feeling the dream had left him with; so, with a compassionate gaze, Lavi shut Allen's door behind himself, knelt by Allen's bedside, and listened to Allen's entire explanation of the dream already fading in detail... and when the white-haired boy finished, he cast his eyes downward in shame; as if his grief amounted to little more value than a child's silly loss, but Lavi immediately disagreed - the redhead let his face sink into Allen's shoulder, hiding his eye from view, and whispered, "If you ever died, I would never get over it completely either... I would have nights, even years later, where I would dream you were alive... so don't belittle that pain... because it's not wrong to miss someone you loved and wish they were still here..." and when Lavi pulled away, Allen saw the strangest expression on his face... so he rose up on one elbow, caught Lavi before he could stand, and pulled him in close... and as they held each other quietly, Allen whispered in return, "I would never forget you either... because I would still love you even after you left, I would not ever forget, for the rest of my life... and beyond... I would remember you..."

**Fishing:** Allen sighed as Lavi rowed their boat towards the center of the lake, the figure of Link still visible on the bank where he was watching them, and Allen frowned, downcast as the feeling that his rare free time with Lavi wasn't really free at all, and Lavi paused in his rowing, knowing the defeated look on his beloved friend's face and not liking it one bit until an idea formed in his mind about how to escape from Two-Spot's never-ending scrutiny and, with a laugh, voiced that to Allen who immediately perked up at the chance to be alone with his redhead, and so leaned in close; just to be pushed playfully over the edge of the boat a second later, his surprised squawk lost to the waves the boat made as it upended, sending them both into the water; Allen resurfaced beneath the boat in a captive cavern of air, and splashed his comrade when Lavi too joined him, his laugher echoing over the bottom of the boat above them before cupping Allen's face tenderly with a soft, "Hey, we have privacy now... Two-Spot won't know where to start fishing for us..."

**Calm:** He was beginning to panic, he could feel it; the essence of his memories and the vividness of the emotion behind it, he was not lost in a visual deception but an emotional turmoil and quickly was losing the fight... but, even as he was spiraling down, hunted and haunted by his mind, something was keeping him anchored... Allen's hands fisted together into Lavi's shirt, trembling and aching and losing himself, but the more agitated and out of control he got, the calmer Lavi became; drawing him in, holding him close, easing his mind back with little more than the thought alone, resolute and unshakeable in that tender mercy, trusting completely that Allen could fight his way through so long as he was close... but on the fourth sleepless night, Allen lay awake with red eyes and an unsettled mind, and began to hear the sound of weeping in the bed next to him... his friend, his dear friend, who had been with him through it all and now sensed his fading heart like his own, finally broke in great fear... it was such a heartbreaking sound; so... slowly... he rolled stiffly out of the confines of himself and went to Lavi, and gave him a hug that lasted until dawn... and when the sun began to bleed new colors onto the walls, they rose together and walked down to the infirmary - Allen's head tucked against Lavi's neck, Lavi's cheek on Allen's forehead, arms around each other's shoulders and listening to their mutually hitched breathing... even in the turmoil: each his other's greatest source of calm.

**Blinded:** It had been nearly two weeks and the nurse had only just agreed Lavi was strong enough to walk around outside; he had been badly injured in an Akuma fight and the entire upper half of his head had been wrapped in several layers of bandages, rendering him completely sightless... but when Allen arrived for his daily visit, gladly took the news of this freedom and, promising to have his best friend back within an hour, took Lavi by the hand and lead him away... they left the safety of Headquarters and made for the wilderness that surrounded it; walking freely, happily, Allen guiding Lavi along with obvious care with their fingers entwined and free arms around each other's backs until they reached one of Allen's favorite views... and when they stopped there, Allen softly began to describe the scene before them, but after a few moments, felt the touch of a finger on his cheek - and when he turned his head to look at Lavi, emerald gaze hidden beneath white cloth, as he easily pushed the corner of his mouth into a smile, and when the redhead was certain his friend was smiling wide, in spite of being blinded, he still smiled his own familiar smile right back.

_And, something a little different to finish:_

**Gain:** It was an immediate loss - no one could have had a worse introduction than Allen did to Kanda; the sword-wielding Exorcist seemed to come flying out of the moon itself, hell-bent on slicing him through like any demonic creature, but in the end, he did manage to escape unscathed... but that instant animosity had formed the first deep wedge in their nonexistent relationship - both Exorcists would grumble and rage and fight whenever they were in the same room, grappling over their differences, faults, and weaknesses... but over time, though the fights continued with a fierce competitive spirit, somewhere along the way it just became habit... a way to act... to release a sort of vengeance to cover up a smirk and a punch to conceal a short laugh, as the two enemies grew to respect each other; if not for themselves, but for the way both would not back down and ever had an insult to throw right back... and in some strange way, they were not friends in the conventional sense, but had found and gained his never-defeated-for-long equal in the other.

O-o-o-o-O

_Before someone panics – the "finish" was in regards to the chapter, not the story. I still have several more waiting to be posted! We've just finally reached the point of where what I post will be fresh off the presses, and sadly, writing (and typing up) prompts requires time and energy - I'll post the next twenty as they become available. Thank you so much for all the support so far, you've been amazing! I've done my best to express my appreciation to anyone who has reviewed and favorited this story. :D Until next time!_


	13. The Worth Of A Soul

_Hello everyone! I have returned, and with new prompts to boot your way! This particular posting is kind of special – instead of the standard 20 I've been posting, there are 21 here. I could __not__ split up the last two and you'll understand why when you get to the end; they're just too adorable read together! XD A few are AU, both "Homecoming" prompts were inspired by soldier-family reunion videos on YouTube, and the rest are more character exploration and fun, with some torture/blood themes in a few – read with caution if that bothers you at all. Thanks!_

_And now, without further adieu... ;)_

O~o~o~o~O

**Tenacity:** As the crowd rallied and the man ahead of them screamed that they could fight their non-existent God's war somewhere else - half their town lost to the mercilessness of the Akuma and the Noah, barely halted at the arrival and expense of the Exorcists; their rage could be understood... yet, instead of challenging them in favor of his sacrifice, Allen turned away... his help left unthanked, bleeding and limping from battle, and wounded further by their callousness but he refused to rise to the easy bait of their anger with more fire... rather, the white-haired Exorcist stepped behind his closest friend and leaned in close to his back; Lavi looked over his shoulder with concern and offered his friend his hand, of which Allen took into his own tenacious grip, the saddest expression spreading over his face that broke Lavi's heart to see, full of sorrow and pain... and trust... a trust deeper than anything he had ever known... and Allen whispered, not caring if he was heard by the roaring crowd or not, but it shook the soul enough, "... One day, you'll understand..."

**Worth:** Allen took a small eternity to remove his shirt; easing each button apart and letting the soft fabric glide off his shoulders, leaving him bare to the waist... slowly, he turned around, and with quivering shoulders, looked at his back through the mirror... for the first time after months of avoiding even a glance, he saw the skin still red from inflammation and the puckered, nearly grotesque form the scars had turned his flesh into; permanent reminders of the knives used on him, and he started to crumble... _scars, scars, _he was a mess of scars he could not escape and could not hide from, scars of weakness and contempt; a story of loss and hate branded into his skin, to carry with him for the rest of his life... his knees buckled as he managed to wrench a simple question out of the depths of his shattered soul, "... What am I even worth... like this...?" and Lavi's mouth thinned; he bolted into action, erasing the distance between them and pulled Allen against his chest... and as his friend choked and bit down on a cry, the redhead lifted him off his feet and enveloped him in an embrace that shut away the world... he touched the heavy scars that ran the length of Allen's back with warm hands and careful fingertips, with not a hint of revulsion; kissed the side of Allen's head, long and soft and slow... let his every action cherish what had been thought forever destroyed, eternally marred, unequivocally ugly, thought to be never more than a curse and a fault, unworthy of even the smallest kindness... he rewrote those lines, those beliefs, with his own ink... and when Allen broke down in his arms, to even the level of shedding tears at being treated with such gentleness and care where he had expected to be slapped and left alone in the darkness, in a voice whispering of pain and compassion Lavi told him tenderly, "You're worth worlds..."

**After:** The war was over at last and the whole of the remaining Order celebrated the overdue victory, all save for their hero who waited out the days in the hospital wing, a constant eye on his beloved friend who had saved his life, saved them all though his sacrifice and now lay broken on a bed, barely breathing, and Allen sat, watching each breath he took, counting each heartbeat that fluttered under his touch, smiling behind his tears as he recounted the battle that Lavi had never seen finish, voice breaking as he berated his redhead for saving his life, for getting so hurt, for teetering over the edge of death far too many times to save his sanity, and finally grew quiet, tenderly brushing his lips over Lavi's bruised knuckles before whispering a gentle reminder of a promise Lavi had made for after the war; of travel and freeloading, of freedom and endless companionship, that they'd be together, forever, until the end of time, and that he was waiting, that he'd wait for as long as it took for Lavi to awake so they could finally realize that dream together.

**Hell:** The soft whisper of "Do you really think it's Hell?" startled Lavi when he left Komui's office; he turned swiftly around and found Allen standing off to the side, his suitcase at his feet and his hands pocketed, waiting patiently for an answer, and the redhead couldn't at first... memory of seeing the ensnared soul as fodder for its mechanical Akuma counterpart returned and he shuddered distastefully at it; to be honest, it still sickened him, and he hadn't yet been able to forget it since that night in Krory's castle... but he was surprised at a quiet touch of a hand on his arm and finding Allen standing there, _smiling _at him of all things, merely shrugging as his grey eyes studied the quality of his comrade's gaze... he offered Lavi his hand by way of farewell, which the redhead didn't even think about before taking; clasping Allen's left with his right for a moment, and Allen said something then, gently, that Lavi would never forget: "Not everything in my world looks like Hell..."

**Disgust:** "Human souls... as _currency_?" Allen repeated slowly, horrified at the very notion as he slumped in his seat, unbelieving that it was humans betraying their own loved ones to the Akuma as Komui affirmed his fears, and somewhere behind him, even while waves of revulsion churned angrily in his stomach, Allen could hear Lavi scoff in disgust, voice low and venomous as he bit out a sneering, "And just when I thought the human race could stoop no lower..."

**Chess:** "I am the Light in a world of Darkness!" Allen Walker screamed, sword blazing, eyes aflame with grief and fury, and the Earl felt a stir of surprise at the sight of the once weak boy now burning with vengeance, voice strong and determined as he echoed his fallen friend's words, finally believing all that had been told to him, and the Earl couldn't help but smile cruelly as their swords clashed – _this _Allen Walker was much better than before... he would've killed that foolish Bookman apprentice much sooner if he had known he'd get such a _splendid _reaction – and chuckled as he echoed a sample of the redhead's words for himself, reveling in the irony: _"We're naught but Kings and Pawns, Allen Walker... Kings and Pawns..."_

**Homecoming (One):** Lavi wasn't expecting the soft nudge on his shoulder and jolted; nearly dropping the book in his hands and his heart pounding in sudden hypervigilance as he turned around to see who had surprised him so easily... only to halt in sudden shock... as the person behind him gave a friendly two-fingered salute and a tired smile, and in a voice he hadn't heard in over six months said simply, "Did you miss me...?" and Lavi rose fast out of his chair with a strained laugh, rolling his eye at his old friend's flippant attitude before he lifted that Allen Walker off his feet into a fervent bear-hug and a "-like a toe missed a hangnail~!" and Allen laughed softly in his ear, wrapping arms around his neck just as tight, wearily understanding when Lavi's humor died and the redhead buried his face into his shoulder; and after a half a year without his best friend, Allen was comforted at last in the quiet bliss as Lavi started to rock him back and forth and whispered, "You're home..."

**Homecoming (Two):** Lenalee lead the way with her little video camera rolling, shuffling softly and almost blindly in the dark until they reached Allen's bedside with just enough light from the hallway to illuminate the white-haired boy's sleeping face... and Lavi slunk in behind the girl, not bothering to hesitate as he crawled over Allen and lay down beside him, hiding his face from view with the cover of the other's pillow, and held still as Lenalee said gently, "Allen, it's time to wake up..." and Allen sighed himself awake... noticed the arm thrown lazily over his side... lifted his head just enough to see who the _hell _was next to him... but his eyes widened when Lavi's face came into view and cried out, "Lavi~!... Lavi..." as he dove forward, burying his face into the redhead's shoulder as Lavi's familiar laughter filled the quiet, rolling them both over so he could sit up without squishing or crowding his friend, and Allen tried, _twice_, to let him go as Lenalee teased him with a "Happy Thanksgiving, there's your Christmas present; your lost puppy finally came home last night... ha, wow Lavi - I think he missed you or something..." and Allen didn't really answer her, his face kept finding its way pressed back into Lavi's chest, muffling tears... and Lavi just shrugged at Lenalee with the biggest smile the girl had ever seen before he surrendered and rolled forward, squishing Allen into his bed for real this time and nearly body-slamming him in the process; not that Allen cared - the younger just wiggled his way back into his friend's arms when Lavi had again lain down next to him and kissed the redhead on the cheek, a sentiment Lavi echoed as he brushed lips over Allen's forehead and held him tight, overcome at last... half a year apart could not have felt any longer for either of them.

**Vicarious:** Allen stared straight into his eye, unwilling to look away as his shirt was violently removed and his hands bound over his head, daring not even a glance from Lavi's pale, drained face weakened from the fatal virus that had yet to take away what remained of his life... because as payment for trying to escape but not wanting to risk mercifully killing him too quickly, his "caretakers" decided his own friend would be the one to take his punishment for him, and bound him against the wall barely two feet away; where he could watch every facial expression Allen could hide from his tormentor but not a single one from him... and from behind Allen, Lavi could hazily see a figure uncoiling a long bullwhip in his hands, but snapped back to Allen's face when he heard the boy choke out, "... Lavi... I'm so sorry..." and Lavi, in spite of the death cloaking his veins, leaned forward against his own bonds... there was pain and such sadness in those grey eyes, waiting for what he knew was coming in silent fear... but not even a hint of the directed hatred Lavi was certain he really deserved... even though his dear friend was receiving a vicarious punishment he did not deserve for a mistake he did not make, Allen still chose to remain... and Lavi's heart, the heart he thought didn't exist, broke.

**Chance:** Allen had once had a vision of a lone green eye spinning to a chilling gold, a loving smile dissolving into a wicked, merciless grin and he had screamed out a name that turned to ash on his tongue, his beloved friend lost into the shadow of a Noah, a killer of sharp intent and a chilling laugh that haunted him all the way out of the nightmare; the image of Lavi turning into a Noah was burned forever into the back of his eyelids and he'd vowed to never such a travesty to occur... but now, as he watched Lavi writhe below his hands, back arching as he screamed off the floor, the parasites visible as they raced under his skin, burning white hot trails towards his heart to kill him slowly, the flash of amber shimmered through Lavi's eye, contorting his face from intense agony to ecstasy in a moment, and Allen almost found himself praying his friend could fall into that evil darkness so he might survive this punishment because any chance for Lavi to live was still a chance and he would see it through... even if that meant losing him forever.

**Strike:** Allen greeted his friend with a wave upon his return from the latest assignment, but had to double-take when he realized something concerning: Lavi's right arm had been crudely bound to his chest and his hand wrapped up – Allen couldn't help but walk over and inquire softly with his eyes, to which Lavi smiled sheepish and itched at the back of his head, raising his unharmed hand in surrender at the white-haired boy's panicked expression when he confessed, "I~... got struck by lightening-" – "Lavi!" – "I know, I know... instead of calling 'strike!' first like I always do, I got upstaged for the first time ever... heheh... _big time_..."

**Thunder:** Lavi shifted suddenly when Allen rose from his seat across the train compartment, the flickering light of the darkening storm flashing over his friend's features as he walked over to the door and knelt; laying on his back, stretching out on the floor, hands underneath his head as he craned his face back to look out the window overhead... thunder rumbled like a deadly growl and Allen glanced at Lavi, judging the other's expression for a moment before jerking his head in invitation – to which Lavi grinned in agreement and leaning forward with a soft groan before finding his knees, and he too found a place next to Allen on the floor to watch the storm... the train rocked them steadily and the thunder rolled with rippling intensity over the land, so dark now they could barely see and no sign of letting up, but it didn't matter soon anyway; both Exorcists quietly slipped into their dreams, lulled to sleep in the peace they found.

**Challenge:** Allen had always been up for a challenge, so when Lavi offered him a whole brick of angel cake with strawberries and whipped cream as a reward, he didn't think twice about the risk as he slunk towards Kanda, the sleeping samurai none the wiser when Allen carefully tied a bright pink bow at the base of his infamous ponytail.

**Destruction:** It was a new level of destruction, one Kanda was still getting used to as he made his way through the ruined fields, scowling in disgust at the charred bodies of the damned lining the sloped edges of the crater where he somehow knew the two friends would be, hopefully still breathing after the explosion of their innocence meeting in midair and combining so flawlessly, a blazing dragon of fire and pure energy, of trust and the purest love humanity could offer, and he paused for a moment, hesitant as he surveyed the dead, and chilled wonderment filled him with hope at the thought that maybe, just maybe, Allen and Lavi really had what it took to save them all.

**Musician:** When Lavi stepped out onto the balcony, following the sound of unexpectedly heartfelt music, the last thing he expected on this stormy night was to find a grand piano _outside_ with Allen poised at its keys; the white-haired Exorcist clearly had not a clue he had an audience now, and continued to play with a kind of fervor that stunned Lavi speechless... rain began to fall, slowly at first, but then picking up energy and thickness, but Allen paid the rain no mind - and if anything, it only added to his focus... his slender fingers flowed over the piano smooth as water but firm and powerful as a hammer, his face enraptured and single-minded as he let the music around and within rise in strength and clarity... and Lavi, already taken aback by this overwhelming wave of passion, bit his lip and fought for control when Allen began to sing with his song... "-Now there's a joy inside I can't contain... but even perfect days can end in rain... and though it's pouring down, I see you through the clouds, shining on my face~... like sunlight burning at midnight, making my life something so _beautiful, beautiful_ - mercy reaching to save me, all that I need; you are so _beautiful, beautiful~_..."

_* Inspired by the music video for "Beautiful Beautiful" by Francesca Battistelli_

**Iron:** "Stealing," Allen idly informed his friend even as his hand lighted on Lavi's thigh holster; withdrawing the tiny iron hammer from its sheath - Lavi shrugged in disinterest and continued to write, nearly finished with his last report, while Allen leaned back against his side and twirled Hiban round and round his fingers, quietly waiting for him to finish... and when the redhead finally threw down his quill with a sigh of tension release and victory, ready for something new, fatefully asked, "Allen, my hammer?", not expecting Allen's reaction - the white-haired boy jumped up, Hiban still in his hand, and yelled with a teasing smirk at his (surely) dumbfounded expression, "You'll have to fight me for it!" before he took off running... with a groan, Lavi was on his tail in a moment, screaming after his laughing best friend as he gave chase, _"Give me back my hammer - _ALLEN!"

**Stand:** Allen wasn't even thinking when a hand clapped down on his shoulder, and jerked away with more vehemence than he would have ever needed - because that touch took him back to just two days before, in Road's world, with her hand on his shoulder, her arms around his neck, her human heartbeat against his chest and he shuddered in confused revulsion - but he stopped when a sound of equal confusion reached his ears, and he turned around to see Lavi's once jovial face apologetic and concerned through the softly falling snow; thinking he had hurt his new friend... but Allen shook his head and knelt, and in just a few words, explained his reaction... and Lavi just stood there for a moment or two, weighing his options; of helping or just forgetting about it, and for whatever reason chose the former... he walked forward and reached out, offering Allen his hand to help him stand, and when Allen took it, Lavi pulled him upright and pressed Allen's gloved left hand against the steady beat of his heart... Allen winced at the touch, but Lavi would not let him go until he stilled, and explained to him plainly... "You feel that, right...?... It's just a sign that I'm alive, nothing more..." and Lavi smiled as he let Allen's hand fall away, turning it around and pressed the younger Exorcist's hand against his own heart; crushing his fingers against the brooch that symbolized the Black Order... "... I think you're more concerned about what that heart stands for, and not the heart itself... so now I wonder, Allen Walker... what do you stand for?"

**Money:** "Why would _Lavi_ hang out with that guy?" was one of the many whispers that followed the unlikely but common duo in the school halls, and Allen winced; glancing at his best friend out of the corner of his eye apprehensively, wishing for the millionth time that their backgrounds weren't so different... Lavi had the perfect life: great parents who were still alive and together, his family wasn't exactly wealthy but they had a stable and comfortable lifestyle, and with his dashing good looks he was quite the heartthrob... but Allen... growing up with a drunkard for a dad and a mom who took off when he had only been a child, living on the ghetto side of town and working odd jobs since the age of 11 just to make ends meet, and he wasn't bad-looking but tended to fade back rather than shine; he was quiet but firm, invisible and hated or feared by his teachers and classmates, by everyone... except Lavi... who caught that sideways glance thrown in his direction, glared at the girl who made the rude comment and threw an arm around Allen's shoulders affectionately, laughing like absolutely nothing was wrong or out of place - Allen studied him skeptically and finally asked, "Lavi, why _do_ you hang out with me...?" and Lavi knew the unspoken part of the question already... _why would one of the most popular guys in school hang out with his white-trash childhood playmate...? _but the redhead just shook his head and his visible eyebrow rose, as if to say _you serious? _and explained truthfully, "Why would I spend my time with people who are more interested in my family or my money than me...?" - he smiled warmly - "... You are and always will be my best friend, because you can't be bought and you've never tried to buy me... you and I are everything those ingrates will never understand - no matter where we are in life, rich or poor," - and Allen finally, finally smiled back - "-you'll always be there for me, and I will always be there for you."

**Worldly:** Lavi was indeed one of the strangest people he knew, and as Allen mused to himself near the fire, quietly studying the redhead and the story he was telling of some time and place one could only dream of, a sudden spokesman of worldly wisdom and adventure, the Finders with them suddenly froze, terror over their faces as they pointed straight at Lavi who trailed off in confusion, looking around himself to see what was wrong until Allen saw it as well and gulped, leaning away slightly and gesturing to Lavi's hand, or more importantly, the huge hairy spider stretching out over his knuckles, and felt his mouth drop open slightly when Lavi smiled warmly at the tarantula and shifted it onto his knee, giving a kind, "There you go, buddy... warm enough?" to the creature and caressed its furry back like a long lost friend.

**Kiss:** "Have you ever... k-kissed someone?" Allen asked, resisting the urge to run out of the library when Lavi suddenly halted in his tracks to peer over at him, a bemused yet serious gleam in his eye as he studied his friend, clearly trying to understand just what Allen had meant by that one before setting down his stack of books with a small shrug, a lopsided grin pulling on his mouth: "Why do you ask Shortstack?" was all Lavi responded with but a fantastic blush heated Allen's cheeks and he began to fidget in place, wringing his hands as he mumbled a quick, "Just askin'..." before starting to back away, instantly not liking the fox-like smirk that took over Lavi's face when he advanced, lifting his eyebrows and nearly purring, "Oh, I get it... you want to practice, right?" before dissolving into hearty laughter as, with a squeak, Allen turned face and ran: "N-never mind!" X3

**(First) Kiss:** "Do you remember your first kiss?" Allen whispered from behind him and Lavi paused, wondering if he should've heard the question or not before gently setting down his load of books, pondering his answer; "Yeah, I do..." he answered just as quietly and turned toward him with a soft smile; reaching out to grasp the other's shoulder, thumb tenderly tracing a circle as he stared into Allen's eyes: "I'm not sure if it counts because it wasn't on the lips... and it wasn't my smoothest moment, but it meant the world to me for reasons I've only now come to understand..." and his smile turned somewhat sad as he drew his fingertips over Allen's brow, slowly brushing away his silver hair until the bleeding pentacle was visible and he sighed, lost in a memory; Allen trembled slightly at the strange shine in Lavi's eye as he asked quietly, "Who was it...?" and fell silent as the redhead pulled him in, mouth warm against his skin: "You."

O~o~o~o~O

_As I'm sure you could probably tell without my saying so, a lot of these prompts follow storylines of a sort that correlate with both mine and Krisy's lives and personal muses... which may be why most tend to be pretty heavy/deep, affectionate, and/or thought-provoking. So, if you're wondering why these at times seem to follow a pattern or mindset, that'd be it – it's just part of what we think about. _

_However, if there is ever a word or idea that you'd like to see that we haven't done yet, or something you would like to see more of, please send it along in a PM or a review! Suggestions are ALWAYS welcome. :D_

_Until next time – much love! _


	14. I Do Believe In You

_So, I know it's been a few weeks since chapter 207 came out but I'm STILL geeking out about it! XD Gah, I can't even remember the last time I got that excited reading a manga chapter. And at the risk of spoiling anything, I won't say what happened – but it should be pretty obvious for anyone who has read it. ;) That, and I just returned from AWA in Atlanta last night –so I'm totally stoked to share these with you and I actually have the time to do so! D8 Holy crap, I know! _

_Anyway, on to the prompts. XD A few are AU, one is a further continuation of other prompts in previous chapters, and others are just plain full of crack or tender/quiet moments. These aren't necessarily connected to each other directly unless otherwise noted, so enjoy the diversity of mood!_

_Oh, and also, __Waterfall__ is dedicated to BrokenHeartedExorcist, courtesy of Krisy-chan. :D Hope you like it! The others you suggested will be in the next post, for sure. ;) And DGrayManFanatic! Yours is coming too in the next set! ;D It should come fairly quickly (yes, quickly!), they've ALL already been written. ^^ I'm honestly one short of 20. Go figure, right? _

_It was so wonderful getting requests guys, thanks a bunch. You're awesome. ^^ I hope it's worth a little bit of a wait. _

_Anyway, I'll hush up now – happy reading. :)_

O-o-o-o-O

**Compass:** "Don't do this, Lavi!" Allen pleaded for what seemed to be the hundredth time, grasping desperately at the redhead's shirt, pulling him closer and holding on tight, his tears dropping on Lavi's face while he cried at the unfairness of it all, shaking and trembling even as Lavi smiled lovingly up at him from his spot on the cobbled floor, still managing to hold himself against the other even with his hands tied around his back, gently soothing Allen with a calm voice as though he hadn't just turned himself into the Vatican on false charges, branded a traitor to save them all as a scapegoat the Order desperately needed to blame, and as Allen wept, Lavi continued to smile, knowing his fate and accepting it with more strength than he thought he had, and leaned in closer, resting in the comfort of Allen's chest to whisper tenderly, "I left a present for you... beneath your bed... it's a golden compass... to remind you that no matter where I am, or how far away I seem... my place is by your side Allen, and I'll always find my way back to you..."

**Ace:** Allen let the Ace of Spades flip back and forth between his fingers, memories of a time long past slipping in and out of focus as he stared at Lavi's quietly saddened face, and several moments passed before he asked, "Why did you keep this?" and Lavi swallowed hard... leaned forward... and took the card from Allen's loose fingers; he studied the surface of it in a way that said the action was familiar, the edges softened and supple from being held and fingered so much, and whispered at last... "Because, the moment I picked it up, something happened right then; something that's never happened to me before... _I prayed_... I prayed to a god I did not know, I prayed to him for your sake; knowing you were no longer in my hands... and until you came home, it was all I had to keep you and that prayer alive and with me... you, just you, my unfailing intrigue... the one I did not want to write the death of... the one to whom I was not yet ready to say goodbye..."

**Candle:** "This place is so gloomy..." Allen muttered in dislike and shivered as Lavi fought with the matches in the darkness, managing to blindly light one at last; the hiss and burn of the soft flame igniting the rock walls that surrounded them on all sides - trapped in a cave after nearly two days of unrelenting pursuit, they were both beyond exhausted but found their temporary home less than welcoming... but Lavi just shrugged as he lit one of the candlesticks he had the foresight to bring and used the dropping hot wax to seal it to the cave's floor, murmuring, "It's not warm, but at least it's a bit of light..." and at last looked up to see Allen's shaking form more clearly, and could not help but smile grimly, "Allen, come here... you're hurt, you'll catch your death in this cold..." and Allen sighed in defeat, hugging his arm to his chest as he crawled forward; he allowed Lavi to check the dressings to be sure he had not reopened the heavy gash, and then let the redhead pull him close... too tired to fight or complain, too tired to even speak, he just curled into Lavi's familiar warmth and let the other's heartbeat resound steadily against his ear, soothed by the candlelight flickering through the edges of his closed eyes just enough to believe they were safe, and fell into a soft sleep.

**Schism: **"Feared, hated, abandoned, downtrodden, left behind, overlooked, underestimated..." was the whisper as his chin found the embrace of his arms, staring out over the balcony and into the limitless sky... the view of it that held no story, and yet knew of every moment and every breath the world had ever known, and held no dissension for him as did all else seem to... and a gentle, tender voice from behind responded to his first thoughts, "... You're one schism of many this world has known, and few are ever understood for what they really are... my dear, dear friend... you've forgotten a few qualities of your life I know were given to you; like cherished, like protected... loved, honored, respected, valued, trusted, followed, supported... even if only by a few weak hearts like mine..." and Allen turned around with a weak upturn of his lips, his heart breaking in his eyes, and in a trembling whisper managed to say, "... Thank you Lavi..."

**(cont. of Compass) Heaven:** "But what if they kill you...?" Allen choked, his faint smile dying as Lavi's sweet words melted away and he held the redhead tighter as a terrible fear gripped his heart; "Then I die," Lavi soothed, trying to keep his voice from breaking when Allen's tears fell on his face... "I don't believe in heaven," he continued somberly, catching onto a bit of his friend's worry and sighed, breathing Allen in deeply with a soft smile, "but I do believe in you and the feelings I have... and I know my soul will come back to you and stay until that time comes when we can find a new life and existence together... and if it's Heaven you want to find, then it's Heaven I'll follow you into, even if I have to bribe my way in past the Gates."

**Ring:** "Do you think he'll like it?" Allen asked for the third time as he nervously twisted the silver ring between his fingers, the matching one on his right hand flickering in the light as Lenalee smiled at the loving but nervous gleam in Allen's eyes while he touched the metal tenderly, smoothing his skin around the band and patted his shoulder reassuredly with a soft, "Lavi will love it Allen... it's perfect."

**Failed:** Allen didn't know what to do with himself right then... it felt like everything was crumbling apart... he could only stare up numbly at the ceiling of the hotel through his sleepless nights, wondering if he should be relieved or devastated that of Lavi there was still no sign... his best friend had disappeared it seemed into thin air, without a trace to his whereabouts, and the longer he spent in doubt the more his heart ached in the ruin of despair, wishing his cheery friend was there to reassure him as he had so many times before, but then the guilt returned even as the wish formulated itself... remembering every moment when he had not done or been enough in return, had not returned in full what Lavi had given him... _Lavi_... he murmured inside his head, rolling onto his side with a sigh, the lump in his throat growing again... _Is it true... why you're gone... because I failed you...?_

**Smoke:** "Something in the apartment is burning," Allen panicked into the phone, trying to control his voice as he frantically tried to discover the source of the misty white smoke, all anger from their previous argument vanishing when Lavi instantly soothed him and ordered him out of their home with their dog and bird and then call for the fire department just in case it was something very serious, to stay as calm as possible and wait for him, promising to be there as fast as his motorcycle could carry him.

**Prisoner:** Sometimes, he could remember the vaguest whisper of a childlike joy; a memory of sorts, he could only suppose, of being the center of someone else's world... being smiled at and played with and adored as something precious... but it was gone now, faded like the daydream of a passerby's life, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had ever been real at all; if it had ever belonged to him and if it ever would, because now he felt like a prisoner living in a world of disregard, where he could care for no one and nothing and every person he knew returned the favor, but even as his heart hardened and grew cold, that echo of memory and desire inside his soul left a path behind... with a small and withering hope that one day someone would find the courage to walk the rough terrain and find him, find his heart, locked up somewhere deep inside.

**Graffiti:** "It could almost make you think the Noah already won the war..." Lavi muttered with a distasteful curl of his lip as they walked down the filthy alleyway, the red brick buildings on either side covered in graphic and condescending graffiti against the Exorcists, and at first, Allen just looked away and didn't answer for a moment; but then, to Lavi's surprise, he took a step to the side and knelt by one wall - Allen cupped a small lavender weed flower in his hands, the tiny plant barely finding earth to grow in a crack in the cement, but it was a pretty little thing... and Allen looked over his shoulder at Lavi to smile softly, shrug, and say, "They haven't won everything yet."

**Unyielding:** Allen was the kind of friend, comrade, and companion Lavi had once been certain didn't exist anymore – he was the kind of guy who wanted to improve the quality of the lives of anyone he met where he could and did so in any given opportunity, but he wasn't a pushover like some people assumed he would be, more often than not he would not only help but teach as well; he wasn't afraid to do anything and he was unshakably strong; unyielding of any obstacle, unwavering even in his own fatigue, and somehow no matter what mood or situation he was still relentlessly, relentlessly kind and tender and genuine... and Lavi, who had never known such great strength of character in all his life... Lavi loved that about Allen.

**Frightened (cont. of Mute and Question):** You brought a homeless man home with you?" Mana asked him, eyebrow raising bemusedly as Allen tapped his fingers along the warm mug of tea in his hands, biting his lip worriedly as he glanced back towards the couch where the mute redhead was sleeping, shivering violently under his mountain of blankets and repeating a silent name over and over from somewhere far beyond his reach, and, slowly, Allen nodded to his father's question, and uncomfortable twisting in his chest tightening when he took a sip of his drink, trying to figure out why the man's name, _"Lavi"_, felt so familiar and why the thought that he had just misplaced something important and vital frightened him far more than anything he had experienced.

**Porcelain: **As he had every day for two months, Allen let his cheek fall to rest against that familiar shoulder and listened to his old friend's low, steady breathing, but when he looked up at the other's face Lavi still stared blankly out the window; his emerald eye unfocused, listless, rimmed in red, as expressionless as a porcelain doll... but Allen wouldn't give up, he wouldn't give in... he refused to believe what the others told him, what everyone else was so sure of, that his best friend sat in this straight-backed chair like any other day but his mind shattered beyond repair or revival... and so, as he had so many times these past weeks, the white-haired young man curled up in his red-headed friend's lap and wrapped arms around him comfortably, if only for the benefit of Lavi sensing their closeness and warmth, and even as that veiled green eye stared emptily, Allen held him close and whispered the words of a story they had been writing together, praying that one day he would wake up... and finish the story, as he once promised he would.

**Blurry:** "Seriously Lavi, how can you even see with these on?" Allen joked, adjusting his best friend's glasses over his nose as he leaned back and forth on top of Lavi's desk, making the redhead go in and out of focus, peering through the lenses and laughing at the other's blurry image before him when he chuckled and made to swipe them off his face with a smirk: "You're such a nerd."

**Pasta: **"But Allen, I _hate_ pasta!" Lavi whined as the white-haired Exorcist dragged him off to find something for lunch, but being in Italy didn't leave many obvious alternatives and Allen could only sigh in good humor and joke back at his friend: "Then why agree to take a two week mission to a country known for its pasta cuisine, you dolt - did you think you could just starve your way through it?"

**Super Hero: **It had to be the dumbest argument Lavi had ever been part of, but then he really should not have underestimated Allen's plethora of super hero know-it-all-ness; but really, why the hell was it worth debating who of Batman or Superman would win in a fight when the answer was obvious: due to the fact that only _one _of the two made any personal effort to _overcome_ his ultimate weakness, Batman would totally own Superman every time!

**Pilot:** After bouncing through the hard wind, nearly side-swiping cliffs, crashing through trees, and almost breaking both their necks in the process of trying to land on Hiban, Lavi and Allen lay panting on their backs on the forest floor - and when Allen finally managed to catch his breath, he good-naturedly muttered with a devilish smirk, "Well, now I know why pilots are required to take classes..." to which Lavi indignantly snapped, "Hey, those Akuma came out of nowhere!"

**Waterfall: **"I'm King of the Mountain!" Lavi shouted from on high, laughing triumphantly in all his swim-trunked glory, and Allen rolled his eyes at the display, unimpressed as he called up the waterfall to his best friend: "Yeah, yeah, 'King of the Mountain'... we all know you're too scared to actually jump!"

**Torn:** Allen literally could not, _could not_ believe his eyes and wondered mildly if it were some trick in the firelight or the mountain air; but chose rather to let his face fall to his hands, laughing nearly to the point of hysteria as Lavi battered at him with barely controlled patience, intent on completing the mending of his torn scarf – silver needle flashing in the light and everything – before tackling his best friend to the dirt even as the silver-haired Exorcist applauded his "diverse" skills.

**Renegade:** _Traitor_, Deak whispered in loathing hate and raging disappointment; _weak, cowardly, undisciplined, unworthy, disgusting, pathetic disgrace to the Bookman; years of planning and training all wasted on your ungrateful weaknesses and faults, swayed to the will and control of lesser men and leaders, all of it ruined, ruined, ruined... _and Lavi sighed heavily in defeat, his heart warring desperately within him, unbidden tears pricking the corners of his eye in shame because Deak was right, he had failed himself and everything he'd built his life up for... but, in his own defense, all he could whisper in return was: "Nothing about that life was ever really strong, I know that now... it took another's weakness to show me how strong I'm not... and it took claiming the life of a renegade to find out what I'm really made of..."

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_Thank you so much for reading, you certainly make this such a joy. Any thoughts (or requests) are more than welcome! :D_


	15. Acceptance Means I'm Yours

_Yes, I am double-whammying you all this evening. I feel awful for not posting anything for so long, but now that AWA is behind me (tragic as it is, so much fun!) I think you guys deserve a little spoiling. And, it's officially chapter 15 – I have the urge to do something a little different and I'm quite confident Krisy will laugh at me when she reads this... ^^" love you Krisy-chan!_

_This prompt is rather special to me, and officially holds the record for being the LONGEST sentence I have ever written... so love every word of it! It was inspired by an online blog I found a while back called "Rob's Blog" – written by Robert and his best friend, Lucas. If you're at all curious about the blog or would like to read it, certainly feel free to PM me about it. All I can say is, I could not stop reading once I started – I was shocked, horrified, pained, and so deeply touched by these two boys. The blog was begun to respond to a horrific experience in a positive way – at the age of 12, Rob had been brutally raped by a man he knew and from which should not have survived, spent nine days in a coma, and woke to a multitude of injuries and illness that would eventually claim his life after about two years of fighting. But his story of survival, love, and forgiveness, as well as the dedication and love of his best friend, was something I could not ignore nor could I say did not affect me. Here is just one way I hope to honor them and their wishes to spread love, care, and acceptance. _

_**Music Recommendation: **"Dentro Me" by RyanDan_

_**Warnings:** Nudity - but, to me, no sexuality. Far be it from me to tell you how to take this, but as for myself, the intention is far different from trying to display any kind of sexual tension as is so common. I surprised myself writing this, it's a definite step outside my usual stomping grounds. But even if only one person in 100 read and really understand what I felt while writing this, that would be enough for me. I tried to handle this with care and concern and loving respect, but please, if the idea bothers you for any reason, don't read this prompt. Thanks. (And thank you Krisy, for understanding. I love you. ~Rei)_

_Dedicated to the memory of  
><em>_Ro & Cas_

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Acceptance: Allen looked away when Lavi entered the room clad in nothing but a towel, wishing his friend would not notice him as he waited for their one bathroom in the shared hotel room to free up, his sopping wet clothing in a heap on the floor from the storm that still raged like a monster outside; he shuddered and trembled from both cold and vicious fear as Lavi drew near, self-consciously wrapping arms around his shoulders to hide as many of the scars from view as he could and prayed the redhead would quickly pass him by so he could run to the bathroom to hide, but with Lavi, there seemed to be no luck; bare feet hesitated right in his line of vision and a familiar voice asked him: "Allen, what's wrong?" and only then did he realize just how hard he was breathing, some part of his heart seizing when Lavi stopped completely and knelt, lifting his chin with gentle fingers, his face etched with questions and concern, but Allen just shook his head, biting his lip to keep from crying, and managed to ground out: "It's nothing, just my scars... I don't want you to look at them, they're ugly." and Lavi balked in utter surprise, looking upon his friend curled up and shivering in not but his skin, but no words came immediately to mind, so he sighed heavily and made to stand... and then asked, "Allen, do you trust me?" and Allen, without looking up, nodded his head once; and Lavi smiled a little, the gesture etched in pain and passed unnoticed, and then the redhead carefully unwrapped the towel around his waist, letting it drop; Allen flinched sharply when it hit the floor, curling even further into himself, but felt a hand quietly take his with the silent encouragement to stand... Allen did so, but his eyes were clenched shut as Lavi fingered red hair back out of his good eye and rested his forehead against his friend's gently, letting the tip of his nose find rest in the curve of Allen's and wrapped arms loosely around his shoulders, hardly half a foot between them and, still in the same quiet voice, said: "Allen, look at me please... just look at me..." and Allen finally did; trembling with something akin to shock and a desperate sadness in his expressive grey eyes that wrung Lavi to the core, seeing his insecurities so clearly as he did now and sensing his pain, so much so that his heart threatened to break when he felt the reserve between them that had never been there before... "Please, just trust me, don't be afraid..." and the redhead took a slow step closer, until he could feel Allen's whole body against his own, tightening his arms when Allen trembled harder, shuddering violently in fear, but Lavi murmured still so softly against his face: "I love you, you can trust me, trust I'll never hurt you, I'll never hurt you..." until the rising panic began to dissipate... and then Allen started to study him with eyes blurred with threatening tears, both confused and very vulnerable as his hands threaded together around Lavi's back, still unable to speak, not until after Lavi whispered to him: "There's nothing wrong with you, I don't look at you and see only scars - you're beautiful even with them, just the way you are because I know there's so much more to you than just them... and it's the heart your body houses that I love; that's why I'm here, because I know you love me the same; _I know_ you love me beyond my scars and what I lack..." and his emerald eye was soft, his own shoulders shaking, and then he kissed Allen's nose tenderly... and it wasn't with friendship or romance, desire or awe... it was just love... full, consuming, without reservation, and for the one who had never before seen himself as anything worth valuing, it struck like water through the parched land inside his soul and Allen's eyes slipped closed again, but this time he let the tears fall; finally finding the strength to whisper in return: "You don't know what you're doing to me... I've lived nearly my entire life being rejected every single day, knowing all but a few flinch away when they find out about my arm or cower when they see my scars, it just leaves this void of emptiness and loneliness deeper in me...-every time... reminders of what I don't have, like I exist but I can't live, but I can feel your whole body right now and all I feel is love for you..." -he choked- "-no one's ever hugged me like this before... I never even imagined anyone would... I don't know what this means to you, but it's everything, everything to me..." and Lavi saw in him all his wish for love, to open up his soul and finally find unwavering acceptance, his heart aching for it – having broken down far enough to finally admit that in spite of all the physical and emotional abuse and neglect he had endured in his short life he was still full of an intense need for tenderness and pureness hidden behind his mask of unspoken thoughts, pleading softly with his face and his actions to not be hurt again, not this time - and so Lavi didn't back away and he didn't let go; whispering to him gently in return: "I know it is... and this doesn't bother me when it's just us; if you hug me or kiss me or touch me, if you want to sit in my lap or sleep in my bed or play around with me; all I have is yours - I'm yours, you're my brother and I love you so much..." he kissed the top of Allen's head and Allen tightened the embrace between them, tightened the closeness, resting his head on Lavi's shoulder and noiselessly cried as he started to rock back and forth, wavering more with every moment in fading strength but still so quiet, so quiet and tender even as Lavi wrapped him and himself carefully up in a blanket and settled into the armchair in the corner with him, absorbing what Lavi's own heart shifted to his, absorbing love like air; Lavi gave him all he really wanted, everything he hadn't known he needed… but it broke Lavi's heart when Allen, for all his reservation and caution, for all the previous resistances to displays of affection whether they were alone or not, finally returned his sincerity with genuine intent, finally let his heart open wide with a whisper of, "… I love you too… _so much_…" and gently kissed his tears away before sinking into his arms.

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_Take care, my friends... Until next time, much love. :3_


	16. Let's Go Home

_Why hello friends! *is shot for Sealand impersonation* And yes, I have returned from the abyss known as life to dabble in my choice reality! I've missed you guys. ;3 *squishes readers* _

_Just a couple of things I want to mention:_

_Ten of these prompts, beginning with __Voice__, make up one storyline of sorts and are all consecutively attached. Don't ask me why we ended up writing that way all of a sudden – Krisy started it, I added to it, and we just kept going until we found a conclusion. So, enjoy the mini-story within the mini-prompts! XD _

_Paint, Bananas, and Fond__ are the only AU prompts in this group. All the others can feasibly fall into the DGM world. ;)_

_BrokenHeartedExorcist: __Iris__, __Gone__, and __Photo Album__ were written for you. I hope you like them, my dear! _

_DGrayManFanatic: __Paint__ is all yours! :D Krisy had a lot of fun with that one. ;3_

_Thank you for your wonderful suggestions. They are greatly appreciated and very much enjoyed. _

O~o~o~o~O

**Iris:** "Come and hear the Good News," a scowling nun lulled as she plunked an iris into Lavi's unwilling hands before ambling off, gaining a confused look from the redhead while Allen suppressed a dumbfounded laugh, stroking the blue-violet petals of the flower as his friend blinked down at him, sarcasm heavy in his tone: "Spreading the Good News all right... one frowny-face at a time..."  
><em>*(flower meaning) Iris: good news.<em>

**Paint:** "I am so _done_..." Lavi whined, dropping the long handle to the paint roller without any finesse, smirking as a few splotches of teal paint landed on Allen's arm and neck, and sniggered as Allen stared down at the new spots, incredulous, before flicking the wet bristles of his brush at the redhead's face, effectively silencing his laughter with a broad grin: Lavi reached down for the roller he had abandoned, and Allen braced himself, wicked smirks crossing both their faces before the battle began... paint flew every which way, coating the floor, the ceiling, even the walls they had devoted themselves to painting all day, aiming wild strikes to any piece of skin or clothing they could find, laughing and screaming hysterically as they chased each other around the room, cackling like mad men for what seemed like ages before the bedroom door slammed open, halting them in their footsteps as Kanda, an annoyed look on his face as he took in the sight of his future living space, shot them a glare before shaking his head with an almost fond smile: _"... Bakas..."_

**Bananas:** "Perception is key to how we view the world around us," Lavi said, smiling broadly at his class before pausing as his eyes landed on his silver-haired student in the back corner finally looking happier and less glum and seeming entranced in his lesson; victorious, Lavi lifted the object in his hand up, a fake banana that five minutes ago had cheated his students into thinking it was real, before smirking: "Perception can be based on past experiences... like say you had a bad experience with a fake banana like this one, it stole your wallet – then you'd think, 'oh, it's just like all those other fake bananas out there... bad bananas!' "

**Once:** It couldn't have been later than four in the morning but they were still up talking; heavy, heavy conversation passing back and forth between them as they walked the lonely, snow-covered streets... tears had long since dried to Allen's cheeks, his heart ripped open and broken with this talk that had laid him so bare he could scarcely breathe, dreading above all else what Lavi would say to him now... the redhead knew his secret, the one Allen had kept to himself for over ten years until Lavi had finally managed to firmly pry the truth from him, and the younger feared so badly that his best friend would think him disgusting, weak, pitiful and just walk away, because goodbye was all he'd ever known... but Lavi's prior vehemency in getting him to speak was gone... Allen choked on his own weakness and fear, but then felt hands on his shoulders and somehow managed to look up blurrily into a lone dark green eye, staring down at him with compassion... and then Lavi whispered, "I've never loved you more than I do right now... I'm so, so proud of you..." and then gathered him in, kissing him tenderly, whispering into hair that shamed the snow around them, "... You thought I wouldn't love you anymore if I knew, didn't you...?... Well, I know now, and I still love you... I'm so sorry you thought I wouldn't..." and at last, Allen simply melted into his arms; and his hands, long since without strength, locked themselves together against Lavi's back.

**Voice:** "Don't you know me anymore?" Lavi choked as Allen pressed down harder, claw digging further into his insides, ripping, slashing, violent, gray eyes wild and murderous; Lavi gasped as his ribs began to crack under the strain, his vision blurring from the loss of blood, from the holes in his lungs, the shattered pieces of his heart, but even as Allen cut down harder, intent on ending his life, Nea's voice in his ears, he smiled and reached for his beloved's face, the loving way his thumbs caressed his skin pausing the final blow, a flicker of Allen returning to those steely eyes, giving the redhead enough strength to let his tears loose, fingers curling against Allen's nape, and, with his final breath, pulled the other's face close to his so his lips could trace against his smooth, warm skin one last time: "Hear me Allen... come back to me..."  
><strong>Dimmed:<strong> Nea's deadly harshness lost some of the potency in Allen's liquid silver eyes as Lavi's dying touch pressed so pleadingly and so shaken against his face that the true Allen regained just a moment of control for himself; long enough to scream loud and long against that which moved him against his own will and without hesitation pulled his weapon's fingers – dripping with fat and blood – from Lavi's body to turn his claw against himself; gouging deep into his own gut with a cry of both fury and pain and an insatiable rage and grief, slicing into his belly and the blood gushed down his legs, his voice bubbling over his lips in a resigned but firm explanation to some whisper of pure malice that Lavi could not hear, shaking with grim determination, "_N-no more, no mo-more_... M-maybe if-f I hurt m-m-myself enough you w-won't w-w-want m-my body any-anymore..."  
><strong>Fool:<strong> "You are... such a fool!" Nea screamed from within, trying desperately to gain control, but he was slipping and Allen was pushing back, bitter and hurting and powerful while his claws dug deeper into himself, as though he was trying to physically carve Nea from himself, and smiled down at his most beloved friend, soul rising, heart beating painful loud and strong against Nea's defenses until they broke, and a voice, once lost and drowning, came alive from within the Exorcist, a crooked smile splitting his tear-stained face: "I am a fool... but I am _his _fool..."  
><strong>Stalemate: <strong>Allen collapsed to his knees, quivering uncontrollably as the warmth and strength continued to drain from him without replenishing at all; one hand clutched with wavering fingers into the gaping wounds in his stomach and his vision swam as he inched forward, falling unrestrained to his side a moment later... red hair brushed lazily against his face and he couldn't help it, he began to weep... Allen let go of the fatal damage he couldn't even hold together and left it to bleed him dry, not caring anymore; the remaining vestiges of his strength finding his clumsy fingers as he pulled in against Lavi's now silent form, not knowing if his dear friend was dead yet or not, but still, his lips whispered over pale skin in a soft plea, "... I heard you... _I heard you_... I'm so sorry I answered too late... Lavi, I'm so sorry..." and as he kissed Lavi weakly just above his closed eye, his own hazy eyes drifted shut, and he fell silent.  
><strong>Renewal: <strong>At last the world was silent; the battlefield, his heart, his head, and he tried a smile that would not come, falling willingly into the silence... Allen let himself go, a contentness growing within despite the uneaseable pain and sorrow that refused to shift, and he tried to pray; for his soul to find Lavi's, for Lavi to somehow find him and that somehow, some way, they would be together again; a soft hum soothed through the quiet, a tender touch cupped his face, a kiss traced over his brow, his cheek, his nose, a smile made of sunlight and warmth tickled his ear, a gentle laugh filled his heart once again: "I know you can hear me Allen... it's time to open your eyes..."  
><strong>Incomplete:<strong> The thought was so inviting, the whisper so comforting, that Allen did somehow open his eyes, but what he expected to see, and what was, were so startlingly different; Lavi was nowhere to be seen... Allen looked sharply around, but his friend was not there – but how could that be, when he sensed Lavi's presence still all around him, blanketing his tired soul in such content warmth and his waiting ears with peace... he looked down and found his own body at his feet; still curled with Lavi on the ground muddy with blood, his right arm thrown over his dear friend's unmoving shoulder, and somewhere above him in the dingy gray sky, it was beginning to rain... Allen reached forward, but his hand could sense neither the touch nor chill of the raindrops, and once more, he looked long and hard around himself, pleading without asking: "... Lavi...?"  
><strong>Denouement: <strong>"... Lavi?" he called again, heart in his throat as he looked about him once again, but, seeing no one, felt a deep weight on his chest and slowly, Allen knelt before their bodies, managing a sad smile at the peaceful looks on their faces, frozen in time, surrounded by the glowing rain; "Lavi..." Allen whispered, pulling his hands to his chest in prayer, "... where are you?" and softly, over the solemn rumbling of the growing storm overhead, he heard his name on the wind, a voice calling, fading... "I'm here Allen... I'm here... follow my voice..."  
><strong>Decision: <strong>Allen made to take a step, but hesitated as his eyes again locked on their fallen forms, as if daring himself to move away, idly fearing that if he did they wouldn't be able to find their way back; but looking back around he caught the sight of something new on the edges of the meadow, flashes of silver and black... he felt the insistent tug and pull to walk and search, but before doing so whispered a question: "Lavi, I'll follow you... but our friends are coming... tell me, will I find you if I leave us lying here...?"  
><strong>Certainty: <strong>A gentle sigh reached him then, circling about, embracing his fears and love as Lavi whispered, "What does your heart tell you?" and he found himself smiling, walking, crying, uncertainties gone as he laughed with sudden and surprising joy; "It's telling me that I love you Lavi... and I'll find you, no matter what..."  
><strong>Resolution: <strong>"As I you..." came the sure answer of a familiar breath of voice and wind and the warmth of a hand pressed to his cheek; Allen rose one of his own to meet it, and though he couldn't feel another hand beneath his, he still sensed it there and smiled softly... "... Lead the way then..." and he took one step, two, and then three... and started to run into the storm; but he wasn't sure why, as he left the place where they had both passed into this oblivion of space, why he still wept quietly...  
><strong>Finale:<strong> And when the storm shifted, exchanging dusk for a new, glorious dawn, Allen dared to pause to wipe his eyes even as a laugh rose from him, true and exhilarating, and more tears fell in shimmering streams, catching in the upturned corners of his lips, shining brightly on his skin, and a gentle chuckle answered his joy, two hands catching him in the gentle sunlight and finally, _finally_, Lavi was there, before him, real and touchable, whispering his name and kissing his face with a teary smile, and Allen pulled him close, tighter and tighter until the feel of him, his skin, his hair became no different than himself, and rested his head on Lavi's chest to count the heartbeats fluttering against his ear; "You found me," Lavi murmured into his hair, grinning uncontrollably against his temple and Allen pulled back, just enough, to look upon his face like a long lost friend, admiring the way he somehow caught the light, flashing like the sun itself, and pulled him down to press their foreheads together with a gentle sigh of, "Let's go home..."

**Date:** "I got you for the whole day," Allen smiled, as though the war wasn't crashing down around them and that tomorrow they were to be called to the front lines again; "So, what do you want to do?" he asked, looking down on Lavi's face where he was slumped into a backwards chair, gazing at him intently, quietly intense, because he just couldn't pretend this was their last free day together anymore and slowly reached out his arms to grab Allen's waist, hugging his face into the other's chest and breathing in deeply... "Right now... I just want you, Allen, just us, like this..." he murmured into the quiet, humming contently as Allen embraced him back, dropping a loving kiss to his hair with a gentle laugh: "You sure are a cheap date..."

**Wake:** "Did I really fall asleep here...?" Lavi mumbled when he finally figured out where he was, he didn't even remember falling asleep; he and Allen had been together most of the night, talking up a storm and now he was suddenly waking up – waking up to walls with familiar decor and a suspiciously familiar body by his side trying to breathe the same steady pattern; Lavi chuckled softly in spite of the pain he was in and how much trouble they would both ultimately be in for not returning him to the Matron as promised, laughing a little harder when Allen gave up on trying to pretend he was asleep and reached out for his friend; burying his face into Lavi's chest to hide his tears... Heaven, it had been so long since they had even been together, and much of that time they had each thought his friend missing, hurt, or dead... so they lay there for a long time in each other's safe warmth, so blissfully happy to be in this place that neither even wanted to consider being anywhere else.

**Fond:** _He's doing really well, considering..._ Allen mused with a knowing but encouraging face as he watched Lavi turn around again for the photographer, vaguely wishing the modeling session would just end already; it couldn't have been worse timing but Lavi wouldn't be dissuaded this time, needing something else to focus on... something other than how he had finally broken down and stress-cried his heart out like a child the day before, something other than the accident last week – it was a phone call he never wanted to get again and Allen had not once left his side since it happened, not since arriving in the hospital to find him already collapsed in a chair in the room where Kanda lay in a coma; where the stubborn black-haired idiot wasn't even supposed to be alive after that collision with a drunk driver, but the emergency surgery had been a surprising success and Kanda was, as usual, doing what he did best: making his two best friends worry – but even the photographer could tell his heart just wasn't on it today, and Allen bit his lip when the man started to get a little frustrated; he walked forward a step or two and Lavi glanced at him over his shoulder, face bright in the light but his emerald eye was so lackluster, and Allen merely smiled gently and said: "Hey Lavi, how do you make a camel giggle?" and _there it was_; Lavi didn't answer, but it was clear the memory of watching random animal YouTube videos at 2am that morning in their apartment had jumped back into his mind, breaking through the facade of carefully schooled calm and an unsuspectingly fond grin spread over his face... Allen could always, _always _make him smile even when he felt like he had forgotten how, he could always find hope in those warm grey eyes that helped him believe everything would be all right... and the photographer snapped a picture of that instant with a sound of both relief and victory – that raw emotion exactly what he had been looking for.

**Gone:** He ignored the others in the room, ignored the short cry of protest and the rude comments his guard detail made, he didn't listen as he ducked under the IV drip and wrapped his arms around Lavi's trembling upper body; skin slick with sweat met his hands and a face already wet with tears turned into his neck, the redhead was so gravely ill but Allen just pulled him closer, choking on his own emotion as he sank like one defeated into the hospital bed and melted into Lavi's side with protective tenderness; and of everyone in the room only Lenalee spared him a softer tone, kneeling by his head and asked him not to cry for fear of what someone might think of him or do to him later, but he could only shake his head and whisper in gentle defense, "I cry for the Akuma; for the tragic cloak they wear until the nightmare is gone... –how can I not weep, for my friend... whose love I don't know how to live without?"

**Picture Album:** Allen couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself as his fingers lighted gingerly on the edge of the heavy page adorned with several individually posted photographs; it was all of them, the surface to a great ocean of memories, decorated with care and filled with personal quotes and passages, familiar faces and moments and wealthy experiences, things that no matter what happened he never wanted his best friend to forget... but his knees still buckled a little nervously when he wished Lavi the traditional Happy Birthday and pulled the book out from behind his back, and Lavi took the leather album, turned it over and idly stroked the surface with his thumb and a curious, "What's this?" to which Allen grinned a little wider and said simply, "Everything."

O~o~o~o~O

_^^ I hope you enjoyed reading. Have a prompt word or something of the like you'd like to see? Feel free to mention it in a review or send it to me in a PM. Your thoughts and critique are always welcome. _

_Take care, my friends. Until next time, much love! :D_


	17. You Called Me Beautiful

_Oh, it's Thanksgiving morning and I'm being harassed to go do something useful before my brother arrives with the turkey, so I'll make this short and sweet!_

_Curve__, __Frozen__, and __Unusual__ make up a three-part mini-story that Krisy-chan wrote, and it's absolutely lovely – read it and give her some love. ;D __Tassel__ and __Serendipity__ are the resident AU prompts, though I suppose Tassel could maybe be placed somewhere in the DGM world... up to you! _

_All the others are fun, angsty, tender, and entertaining, and certainly can fall in the general storyline somewhere. I hope you enjoy reading them! They were certainly a lot of fun to write. ^^_

_Oh, and for you FMA (Conqueror of Shamballa) fans – Happy Birthday Alfonz Heidrich! :D_

O-o-o-o-O

**Hide:** Lavi had to snort as quietly as he could behind a loose fist as he watched the insistent six year old girl tug Allen's hand again and the tender look in the white-haired boy's eyes indicating he couldn't refuse her request to play yet another round of hide-and-seek, but his fond chuckling was cut short when Allen's hand clapped down on his shoulder, accompanied with a mischievous grin the redhead knew to fear, and Allen winked at him playfully, "Hey Lavi, how about you count in French for us and join the fun?"

**Sunrise:** "You are like the sunrise," Lavi had told him once in the softest of whispers with the sweetest of smiles gracing his lips, and he had laughed quietly when Allen raised an eyebrow at that strange, wonderful statement, blushing and confused as Lavi had drawn him into a warm hug and kissed his forehead tenderly, murmuring into the stillness, "You bring color into my world of black and white and paint over each ink-stroke with a brilliant rainbow," to which Allen had laughed and embraced him tighter, hiding his happy tears in the crook of Lavi's neck and wondered aloud when his redhead had become such a cheesy sap.

**Mamihlapinatapai*:** It didn't matter how many times he looked away, it seemed like every time he looked back at Allen the other could feel it, and stormy eyes would capture his with effortless care; drawing him in with so many unspoken thoughts the redhead would swear his best friend had stolen from him, whispers of nothings and quiet pleadings that rent and tore at his already vulnerable walls of supposed indifference and complacency... but Allen couldn't -wouldn't- move and Lavi did the same, held in place with an uncertain fear and Bookman's gruff voice prattling away about something important, but still, Lavi kept looking back... looking back with a quiet hope in his heart, adrenaline urging his feet forward but fear choking it back in line, and he could swear his silver-haired friend felt similarly compelled and stifled; until at last, Allen breathed out a deep, but soft, breath and some of the tension between them melted, and though his grey eyes were still rimmed in swollen but fading red, he looked up into emerald... and smiled.  
><em>* Mamihlapinatapai: A look shared by two people, each wishing that the other will offer something that they both desire but are unwilling to do.<em>

**Remain:** Slowly being drug from his sleep wasn't as painful this time, because for once, and the first time in years, instead of dark air and colorless whispers greeting him with its usual familiar kiss that early morning he found he didn't even want to open his eyes; because he was so blissfully warm now, and within that cocoon of safety he felt the mild tones of a sleep-heavy voice singing in the darkness pull softly at his ears... and when he shifted and sighed himself more awake, arms he hadn't noticed before tightened for a moment around him and the song faded away; he struggled to see the face of the one with him with a shaky, "... You... stayed...?" to which quiet fingers bid his eyes to close again, and an answer filled his heart with rescuing care: "... I couldn't leave you so cold."

**Ignorance:** He shouldn't have asked, because in reality, for the first time in his life he found something he didn't want to know... he wanted to live in the bliss of ignorance and supposed pretending, he didn't want to believe it was so real he couldn't control it anymore, and when he off-handedly asked for a general observation from Bookman the words he was given bit deep... "-If you even have to wonder, you've gone too far; you've forgotten your training and let yourself become attached..." and Lavi winced... he didn't know why hearing those words so flat and bitter in his mentor's voice wrung his heart so deep, grateful he was already turned away; staring up at the stars he had not even an hour before been admiring and tried to explain to himself his actions; _I was just with my- ... with my friend- no... H-... with Allen-... _no, he was a Bookman, and that felt too familiar, too intimate... _star-gazing with another Exorcist named Allen Walker, the Destroyer of Time... _-and he couldn't stop his only visible eye from filling with unwanted tears at the thought, as though he had cheated Allen in some way... and only then, did he begin to understand; his chest aching with a gut-wrenching intensity, his heart changed... -_No... I was with Allen..._

**Liierung**:** It had been such a problem at first, the growing _thing _between he and Allen, a dangerous, wonderful, terrifying _thing _that refused to stop growing, stop changing and enveloping him no matter how hard he resisted; but the more he fought the more Allen pushed, and slowly, surely, it became more frightening, more warm and beautiful than anything either of them had ever known, and Lavi discovered he had a new meaning, a new life, a new smile, that he was no longer a heartless doll waiting for that breath of life, no longer a clown with a painted facade; he was him, Lavi, the 49th in a line of disappearing faces; he was smiles and laughter - he was Allen's heart and Allen was his, and that became him, became them and all they were... until that Problem-That-Was fell defeated under a gentle touch of Allen's hand and forever became that Problem-That-Wasn't.  
><em>Liierung**: a German word for bond, relationship, affection, intimacy.<em>

**Nuance:** "For the last time... _shut up_," Kanda growled as he tried once again to settle into his meditating while Lavi fidgeted nervously beside him, bouncing in his seat, his pathetic attempts at staying quiet always thwarted by a long, drawn out sigh that thoroughly rattled the samurai's patience beyond all reason; "I can't help it," Lavi countered back, looking like a kicked puppy as he pulled at the mat he was sitting on, "I can't get him off my mind... it's driving me nuts how different Allen makes me feel... it's so scary sometimes, but nice..." he sighed again, that infernal sound that started to make Kanda's eyebrow twitch violently and so he refused to answer nicely when the redhead asked him if he understood what he was talking about: "I never understand the level of idiot that comes out of your mouth; only the Sprout shows some effort with you because he realizes you're from the same brand of stupid he is," he sniped, quite pleased when Lavi fell silent at that and immediately fell into a more relaxed state: he was calm, he was composed, he was - "_But Yuu-chan...!"_ Lavi whined in his ear - he was going to _kill_the Bookman bastard.

**Knot:** "This isn't funny Yuu-chan!" Lavi cried as the samurai tied yet another knot around his wrists, trapping his arms behind him, but Kanda only gave him a wide, sickeningly sweet smile before looping a bright silver ribbon around the Bookman's arms, tying it off with a big pretty bow before stalking around him to view his handiwork; "Kanda, seriously, you're freaking me out!" Lavi pleaded as the samurai looked him up and down like a vulture sizing up a piece of meat before smirking and tapping the paper taped to Lavi's bare chest, the words 'Happy Birthday Allen' standing out clearly in an obnoxious orange shade while Kanda, clearly satisfied with his job well done, finally turned and left, ignoring his cries and pleas as he closed the door to Allen's room with a low, "You should've thought about this before you ate my soba..."

**Curve:** Allen froze in the doorway, his shaking hands stilling around his soaked and torn shirt as his eyes took in the sight of Lavi spread out on his stomach on his side of the bed farthest from the fireplace, his back uncovered and his shirt laying in bloody tatters on the floor; Allen gently called the redhead's name and, receiving no answer, crossed the room as quietly and quickly as he could muster, holding his breath under the warm blankets and settling into place before sighing in relief, feeling more at ease that the jagged, ugly scars – all proof of his foolishness and failures – all over his skin were hidden from view; his gaze drifted to Lavi's sleeping form, watched the way the firelight danced over his still damp back, giving his skin a warm, perfect glow that made Allen smile as he propped himself up on his elbow, slightly envious at the sight of the pale, proud, and angry marks that peppered Lavi's flesh in uneven rows, and Allen reached out slowly to trace the curve of his back, whispering softly, "... Beautiful..."  
><strong>Frozen:<strong> Lavi hummed softly at the contact and Allen quickly drew his hand away, for some reason terrified at being caught, though it was the gentle smile Lavi sent his way as he turned his head to meet his eyes that made him pause completely, dumb and frozen while his friend sleepily took in his shirtless state, the way the blanket slowly fell forward off his pale skin and twisted scars were clearly visible before he gave a small breath; "That felt really nice," Lavi whispered, holding Allen's gaze with understanding before closing his eye, silent even as Allen's hand shook when it slowly began to trace circles on his skin once again; Allen could only gape at Lavi while his fingers glided over the bruises left by their latest battle, too stunned to form words as the other relaxed under his touch, humming in absolute pleasure, not caring that the hand caressing him so lovingly was black and ugly and cursed, and he could feel tears prick his eyes when Lavi smiled in gratitude, voice tender as he whispered, "... Thank you Allen..."  
><strong>Unusual:<strong> The words were so soft, so warm, Allen's hand stilled once again, his eyes wide as he tried to find his voice, his fingers curling in his hesitance; "Thanks... for what?" he managed to ask, his mouth going dry when Lavi's eye opened to regard him carefully, a small grin kissing his lips; "You called me beautiful," the redhead murmured, a hint of awe coloring his voice as he turned onto his side, scooting closer until their noses brushed; "No one... has ever said that to me... ever..." Lavi smiled sadly and Allen stared down at him, heart clenching painfully, tears slipping from his eyes when he pulled his beloved friend's face forward, cupping his cheeks as their foreheads came to rest against each other and Lavi gave a shuddering breath while his fingers reached up to trace Allen's scar, eye bright with such love it left them both breathless; "The beautiful one is you..." Lavi whispered, "... please don't forget that... you're so beautiful to me..."

**Fortress:** Lavi gave a low whistle at the sight of the tall black spiral of the abandoned cathedral they'd stumbled across, the dark fortress still maintaining its majesty and wonder though sections of the walls and windows were crumbled and crashed, and he caught Allen's eye and grinned wide when his friend chuckled out a friendly, "You scared?"; "Not a chance," Lavi laughed, hooking his arms around Allen's shoulders as they marched forward together; "After all we've seen, a few ghosts would be welcome company."

**Almost:** There was always the doubt and fear niggling at the back of his mind in moments like this, where he and Allen seemed to share such a oneness in thought and drive and action, the worry of these moments never being enough or not lasting to the very end of his existence... he had no claim on his best friend, his other half; no bond of blood nor contract to bind them together through this world or another other, nothing save perhaps the tie and knit of their own hearts... but sometimes... sometimes, when they stared up into the heavens and talked about everything and nothing at all... sometimes Lavi would almost let himself believe they would always be together.

**Temple:** It was relatively simple in comparison to some of the magnificent cathedrals they had visited before, but a beautiful building nonetheless; with spires reaching for the skies and alabaster stone sparkling in the light, but what intrigued them the most was the very air around this place... it was so calm, and so safe, and so protected; a sacred place, if he were to ever truly believe in such things, and they were still only outside... and Allen watched Lavi take several steps forward and reached out, his gloved fingers lighting gently on the wall of the temple, he wondered aloud, "Is this place...-protected, somehow?" and Lavi shrugged, perplexed as he glanced back at his friend: "There's no sign of Innocence here... but this place... is definitely special..."

**Tassel:** The red tasseled rope wound at least six times around the stuffed dragon's neck and Lavi tied the ends together in a loose bow, patting the prize with a fondness only someone who had played over ten rounds of Ring Toss to win one would understand, and Allen wrapped an arm around him with an amused laugh as they both leaned back to enjoy their last fair ride for the evening: the ferris wheel in the glory of 10 o'clock nightfall and stars; and it was peaceful until the fateful moment when they heard yelling from the waiting line and saw Kanda standing amidst it, his long hair quite loose and his eyes enraged, screaming his colorful death threat plans in Lavi's general direction for whenever the redhead stepped off the ride, clearly ignoring that he was surrounded by mothers and children; Allen couldn't help but glance at Lavi to ask simply, "There a connection between Kanda over there and why you had to drag me full speed to get in line without waiting for him to catch up?" and Lavi laughed nervously as the ferris wheel started turning, jerking them forward and up away from Kanda's relentless doom, shaking his head and then muttered playfully: "Just let me enjoy my last seven minutes alive, all right?"

**Transcending:** The redhead had long ago stopped asking whether or not Allen wanted him there, he could articulate the mood of his friend's pale face as easily as he could a memorized book and so just slipped under the covers next to him, listening patiently as Allen attempted yet again to explain himself; of all his fears and doubts under the weight of so much hope and blood heaped upon his alter that no one would allow him to bow under nor would any even try to understand: "-and I'm scared, I'm so scared..." he trembled and was grateful Lavi couldn't see his face or the damn tears that dripped down his nose, but pulled his face in against the redhead's shoulder anyway and heaved the briefest sigh of relief when Lavi didn't pull away, because _Heaven_, even in the arms of the other half of his soul he felt little comfort, he still felt so alone... and as they lay for a time in mutual silence, quietly, Lavi whispered something wistfully that Allen had never once heard his encouraging, resilient friend ever say; a transcending moment for the Bookman-in-training that took Allen's breath away and brought him to an even deeper level of Lavi's acceptance he hadn't even known existed; for when the redhead let a hand drift tenderly into his hair and admitted to him simply, "I'm scared too..." Allen realized then, that Lavi knew no better than he what the outcome would be; but still, he was willing to remain close, even if his survival was the price he paid for the sake of never leaving him alone... and Allen broke under the trust and loyalty Lavi had in him, knowing the other was willing to live or die here and now with him and be content with either, and when he knew the acceptance of his fate as no longer just his own, he kissed his friend, his heart no longer numb, and wept.

**Moonset:** He walked down the path, hands deep in his jacket pockets, eye to the sky, barely listening to Bookman ramble on as he traced the moon with his gaze, following every furrow, every imperfection while telling himself his heart – _no, no... not a heart, not anymore_ – wasn't breaking, his chest wasn't pulling back, back, back to the castle beyond, back to the home – _no, no... not a home, not anymore _– he had stayed in for so many years, back to the place that held the moon inside, his imperfect, beautiful moon that he had left in darkness, fleeing in fear, in want, in love – _no, no... not love, not anymore _– that lovely face of smiles and tears, of scars and purity, of pain and happiness, the lovely moonset of his very soul that held him tightly, whispered his name, Lavi, Lavi, Lavi – _no, no... not his name, not anymore _– and held his heart in his hands and kissed him goodbye, leaving him to pretend that this was right and he didn't care that Allen would wait for him – _no, no... not him _– not anymore.

**Release:** Lavi could remember the last time he'd ever cried, the night Bookman had come to rescue him, a boy surrounded by so much sorrow and death, silent tears running down as his face as he stared and stared and stared, his mind collapsing in on itself in order to keep him sane; he remembered everything about that day, the way his family lay massacred all around him, how calloused and rough Bookman's knarled hands had been on his wet, broken skin, the way the tears would not stop even when he crossed the point of no return, turned numb and listless at the horror of it all before the tears dried up and his will to cry had all but disappeared entirely – so when a new day came, when the sun was high and bright and Allen smiled as he touched his face, called him beautiful as he caressed the scar usually hidden behind the eyepatch, the love that reached him without a sound, the tenderness and acceptance in Allen's eyes made a joyous, incredulous laugh burst from within, and he grabbed Allen desperately to pull him as close as he could... and _wept_.

**Inquire:** "Haven't you ever wondered why you've been called to kill the demons in this holy place?" the preacher finally shouted, gesturing wildly at the tall ceiling of the Order, clearly frustrated at the flat look Lavi had been giving him for the past hour and a half, unimpressed with his glorious Good News, and twitched in irritation as the Exorcist wrapped an arm around Allen's shoulders with a smiling, "Nah man... I just work here."

**Serendipity:** It wasn't his fault his sister's love-sappy music got stuck in his head so easily, especially when he was already feeling low, but he really couldn't help it when the tune "Use Somebody" got stuck in his head and he caught himself humming the bridge again while waiting patiently in line; missing his friends, missing school even (which was both weird and unnerving), and aching with the need to talk to _someone _other than Lenalee when he went home, and so absorbed in his thoughts was he that he wasn't paying attention when the line started to move - didn't notice anyone coming in on his left until it was too late; he slammed hard into another person attempting to quietly pass him by and sent everything in the other boy's arms flying all over the floor; Lavi and two others immediately knelt to help gather everything up, the redhead full of embarrassed apology until he looked up and saw those eyes of the young man he had knocked down; gentle silver accepting his obvious guilt with a generous laugh and a wave of his hand, reassuring the redhead he bore no grudge, and then, intrigued by this other boy, Lavi stood with the small pile of papers and books in his arms and asked, "Would you mind if I carried at least half of these out for you?" finding his offer accepted quite graciously, and as they walked out of the building together, the silver-eyed boy asked him suddenly: "What's your name?" - "... Lavi..." and the boy smiled at him; "A pleasure, Lavi - I'm Allen."

O-o-o-o-O

_Have a wonderful and safe day, my friends, and take care! Your comments, suggestions, and excitement are cherished and always welcome! :D_


	18. Be Like This

_Oh, this next group is definitely always going to stand out in my mind. XD THANK YOU to ANYONE who has favorited, reviewed (anonymously or signed), alerted, or just plain read this story. You have no idea how much I appreciate your interest and support. As always, thoughts, comments, and questions are always welcome. I'm online nearly every day, so I'll get back to you – ready for any kind of discussion! ^^_

_Lessee, author commentary... __Lantern__, __Playmate__, __Radio__, __Conspiracy__, __Annihilator__, __Moving__, & __Adoption__ are the AU babies. XD We both decided we ADORE papa!Mana, so you'll be seeing more Mana in upcoming prompts! __Radio__ was inspired by the song 'You Make Me Feel...' by Cobra Starship feat. Sabi. ;) _

_Moments__ (Krisy) and __Adoption__ (me) are extra-long, averaging about 730 words EACH. Mwahaha!_

_Wash__ and __Drain__, as well as __Marriage__ and __Wedding__, are consecutively attached because they belong together. Whoot for mini-mini stories! _

_Proving__ came about after a short conversation Krisy and I had after I sent her a particular fanart for a new anime called No. 6, which I started watching back in... gosh, August? Our discussion of that fanart is what inspired her to write what she did. It was really sweet of her to write this for me, and I really appreciate the way she handled it. ^^ Loves you Krisy-chan! If anyone is curious about it or the story behind it, don't hesitate to ask me. :)_

_Anyway – on with the prompts!_

O-o-o-o-O

**Wash: **Lavi's fingers did little to soothe him as he stood stalk still in the shower, the feel of the hot water pelting his back, Lavi's gentle humming echoing in his ears as he focused on breathing, petrified with shame while the redhead massaged the shampoo in his hair and making little sounds of pleasure as he washed his friend's hair; Allen could only keep his eyes focused on the beating pulse in Lavi's neck, uncomfortable and shaking, not because they were naked or that he was actually taking a shower with his lively companion, but rather that, as his skin turned red from the heat of the bath as well as his own embarrassment, the many scars he spent his days hiding stood out proudly all over his flesh, clear as day for Lavi to see... but the Bookman only took his soapy hands and rubbed them down Allen's neck, his chest, his arms, unfaltering and gentle as Lavi smiled tenderly; picking up his broken left arm and slowly, with a new, bright song lifting his lips, cleaned the skin without flinching and kissed his knuckles with a hum: "So lovely..."  
><strong>Drain:<strong> Allen flushed at the unexpected praise, his wide eyes and open mouth making Lavi pause, tilting his head in wonderment, confused until Allen managed to find his voice; "What's l-lovely...?" he asked, voice squeaking in his surprise; the noise made Lavi chuckle lowly in understanding and he whispered a soft, "You are Allen," before tilting the other's head back against the shower to wash the shampoo away, hands working smoothly against Allen's scalp while a lopsided grin lit up his whole face and he sighed against Allen's cheek; Allen could feel the soap ooze down his skin in warm trails, circling the drain between his feet when Lavi breathed him in deep, making a loud noise of content pleasure as he grinned, "... Your shampoo is awesome... man, this smells so good... one hundred times better than that crap Gramps makes me use..." and Allen gave him an amused look before laughing outright, insecurities finally fleeing at the pout Lavi sent his way – "I'm serious... totally gonna steal it one of these days... right from under your nose!"

**Proving:** "If I asked you to prove it," Allen faltered, wondering if he was crossing a line, if he was being stupid and selfish and unwise for listening to that treacherous voice in his heart, "... how would you prove you... actually loved me...?" he trailed off, ashamed of the words and his want to say them; Lavi went deathly quiet, the grin slipping from his face as the words hung over them like fog, the seriousness of the situation finally sinking in... impossibly slow, Lavi reached forward to take Allen's face into his hands and studied him carefully, looking unsure of himself, of Allen, of how either of them could react to this, before leaning forward to place his lips on Allen's forehead; Allen gasped at the contact and Lavi paused, just once, before kissing that spot again with trembling lips then moving down, kissing Allen's temples, his brow, his nose, his cheeks, his chin, and then he paused once more, hesitant before leaning in to place a soft, tender, whispering kiss on Allen's mouth, laying everything on the line, asking for nothing but giving all, everything that he was laid bare upon Allen's skin, and as he pulled away, his fingers curling against the other's nape, gaze warm and bright with fear and understanding and such a depth of love Allen had never seen before but brought tears to his eyes, overwhelmed by the beautiful gift Lavi had just given him and he gave a shaky, loving laugh as Lavi kissed his eyelids in relief, murmuring in the stillness, "I love you Allen, all of you, every imperfection, every scar... you make me whole when you smile, you tear me apart when you cry... your life is mine and mine is yours... I don't deserve you, not a single piece, but God, I love you with all my unnatural heart..." and Allen could only give a broken sound at his words and cup the other's cheeks before pressing their foreheads together as he whispered, laughed, cried: "Thank you... I love you with all I have, my brother... my life... my everything..."

**Sleepwalker:** It didn't seem real, the way Allen's eyes dimmed with hurt and his chest clenched painfully somewhere in the darkness, but he could only stand by the bed, trapped in his new facade, unable to swallow the words that wouldn't stop burning his tongue, and as his body shifted him away towards the door he could hear Allen's whisper beneath his harsh farewell, "... Please... _Lavi_..." and his treacherous heart made him pause, a broken scream lost somewhere inside as he glanced back at the beautiful boy on the bed, his tears shining on his face, the most heartbroken look he'd ever seen greeting his own passive face, and something shattered in him at the sight even as a voice came from his lips - "... That's not my name..." - before heading swiftly from the room, lest Allen's tears further chiseled away his resolve, and strode down the hall; not quite able to discern if he was awake or sleeping, or that he'd really just said goodbye, and when Bookman regarded him critically and asked where he'd been, he managed to be honest: "Just... sleepwalking..."

**Lantern:** Climbing up that rickety ladder with ninja-like silence could have been considered an art, and vaguely in the back of his mind he thought it should be; how patient, aware, and sure-footed one must be to rise up the ladder and into the treehouse undetected, but it was the only way he could catch his son doing what he was doing now... Allen had struggled with reading out loud all through childhood and hated books with a literary contempt, but his father had nothing short of laughed his head off the day the poor boy brought the local historian's grandson home - and here they were on a Saturday night in the treehouse; wrapped up in blankets and a fair tome of adventures spread out between the two boys, and Mana peeked deftly through the trapdoor to fondly listen to his usually headstrong child use a soft storytelling voice, articulating words to his patient redheaded best friend as best as he could, the light of a bright lantern aiding him on this dark and quiet night.

**Playmate: ** "Come on, smile... you do know how to smile, don't you?" Mana heard his son's voice chime and he paused in his perusal of the slaves, fresh and starving from the boats, turning rather towards his little Allen who was currently pouting up at the tired face of a young red-haired boy who couldn't be more than a few years older than Allen himself; his frail bones standing out under his tunic, his right eye covered in bloodied bandages, but the green of his other eye was kind as he managed a tiny smile that made Allen light up immediately, and when Mana stepped next to him his son laughed brightly and exclaimed in excitement, "Papa, can I have this one... please, please, _please_?" and while Allen bounced eagerly, Mana cast a soft smile on the slave who was staring, dumbfounded and hopeful, at the other also scarred but beautiful and felt a twinge of pride and relief; knowing his quest to find a suitable, unjudging playmate for Allen was finally over and maybe, just maybe, his son's future beloved friend and brother as well.

**Ruins:** This town lay in ruins; homes destroyed, windows shattered, belongings torn apart, roads upturned, sustenance left to rot in the summer sun in thanks to the gang of wandering Akuma they were hunting... and as Allen walked reverently through, letting his hand drift along the side of a broken, blackened wall and quietly mourned the lives lost in the uneven battle, he happened to glance up at Lavi who stood only a short distance away, but with the strangest expression on his face; Allen walked up alongside him and set a hand on his shoulder with a hum of concern, but Lavi just shook his head with a shrug and a soft laugh, though the sound was bereft of any mirth, and murmured, "I don't know why... but this place, this land, feels like something I once knew... but that's just silly, isn't it?"

**Radio:** Allen burst out laughing when Lavi really started to get into the music as they drove - his face full of joy and his eye alight with mischievous mirth as he jammed out with graceful, crazy skill from the passenger's side, singing along with the song on the radio with animated humor as he pointed at Allen and cried out in perfect harmony, "La~la~la~la~la - _you make me feel good!_"

**Paradox:** "... God," Lavi murmured in the stillness after spending a good hour slumped over his newest work, and his voice made Allen pause where he was behind the barely opened door, wondering who Lavi was talking to as the Bookman sighed in agitation, leaning back in his chair; "It's hard to believe in a Creator who made the foulest creatures to ever walk this earth, in His own image no less..." he trailed off, looking contemplative at an old book resting on his desk and he trailed his fingers over the cover... while Allen felt tears prick at his eyes, a loving warmth flooding his chest when he realized just who Lavi was explaining himself to; "However," he went on, standing from his seat, "I can't deny You exist... I've seen the way You've worked through Allen, the way You touch his heart..." he laughed, painfully, turning towards the window, lifting his hand to the glass; "And God... I'm so jealous, because You bring him the sort of peace I can't give him... so please, if You love him like he believes You do... let him live through this war..."

**Carried:** Lavi found him at last, a broken mess in a dark corner, face hidden behind damp white hair and shoulders trembling uncontrollably, but it didn't stop him; the redhead knelt and, with a little prodding, managed to get Allen to weakly clamber up onto his back... Lavi tread slowly with his precious burden, not wanting to return too quickly with his soul in such disarray; there were no secrets between them and the sniffles and chokes and only partially stifled sobs against his neck and in his ear begged him be soft, be gentle, because the heart he carried was broken and lost... so Lavi leaned his head to the right and nuzzled his friend's tear-stained cheek with a murmur of, "I've got you, so don't be afraid... I won't leave you alone..." and in response, Allen swallowed hard - and his arms tightened in mute gratitude around his best friend.

**Conspiracy:** Allen rolled onto his side into bed and stretched lightly, idly debating on just texting his friend a good night before he officially nodded off, but froze in confusion when he picked up the vague scent of something familiar on the edge of his blanket as it brushed over his nose - and inhaling deeper only confirmed his suspicions... picking up his phone, he texted a certain redhead the following: _Okay, I just washed my sheets - why does my blanket smell like you? _- and less than a minute later, received Lavi's answer: _I suspect either you haven't showered since I hugged you last, some detergent conspiracy, or your blanket just misses me. ;3_

**Annihilator:** Allen finished modeling his soldier on the game, and with a maniac cackle only his dark side could produce, chuckled like a madman: "I shall call it The Annihilator!" and stared proudly, smug, at the screen as he prepared to type in its newly chosen name, and without losing any of his heightened tone, asked his best friend-roommate over his textbook, "-now how do you spell Annihilator?" to which Lavi could just gape at the white-haired boy's determined, confident face before bowling over, laughing hysterically while Allen pouted, still serious, "I mean it Mr. _I-am-a-better-speller-than-you_ ~ tell me how to spell it!"

**Zodiac:** Allen was being unusually quiet at the booth in the Chinese restaurant as the others discussed the zodiac placemats and waited for their waiter to come take their order – Lenalee noticed first and cast a concerned look on her friend, nudging him lightly and clearly asking with her eyes _why the long face? _and Allen shrugged, saying simply that he just didn't know what zodiac he was because the year of his birth was unknown, and therefore couldn't really get involved in the conversation; Lavi stopped bugging the hell out of Kanda with his weird game of chopsticks and ice long enough to give his best friend a contemplative stare, and then said with a grin, "You can be a cat then, Allen – cats are the rarest of the zodiac-" but was interrupted quickly with, "-But aren't cats the outcasts?"; but instead of being daunted, Lavi just laughed as he jabbed toward himself with his thumb: "Hey, doesn't mean you'll be alone – the outcasts and the exiles always team up in the end."

**Marriage:** "Is there a priest anywhere here?" the young couple searched, desperate and joyous, surveying the crowd with such earnesty beneath their make-shift alter, and looking into their bright smiles Lavi felt moved and, with a sigh, came forward, feeling Allen's questioning gaze following him as he approached the couple, an embarrassed look on his face as he scratched the back of his head: "I don't know about calling myself a priest, but I was an understudy of an Arabian elder who showed me how to pull off a legal ceremony... will that count?" and Allen felt a wide smile coming on when the bride-to-be grabbed Lavi's hands in her own, happy tears shining in her eyes as he proclaimed her gratitude and whispered a breathless, "Please would you marry us?" and Allen gently rested his hand on his friend's shoulder while Lavi, blushing slightly, sent the couple a promising, true smile: "It would be an honor."  
><strong>Wedding:<strong> The impromptu ceremony took place under a wooden garden archway laden with roses and ivy – Allen smiled wide next to the groom, a last minute Best Man choice he hadn't been able to refuse and Lenalee, crying through her smile, gazed lovingly at the couple next to the bride, holding the hastily tied together bundle of roses while Kanda smirked at the lot of them, still a bit rosy-faced after walking the young woman down the aisle to give her away; Lavi's voice was low and loving, his eye taking on a shine Allen had rarely seen, and knowing the Bookman was genuine in his growing affections for the two seemed to tie everything together, putting everything into focus and in place, his smiles stopping time itself as he finished the ceremony with a rehearsed, but surprisingly heartfelt prayer before, grinning softly, allowed them to kiss to seal the deal and with a jovial laugh announced them to the world, and Allen could only applaud and stare in wonder at the magic they had somehow managed to create in the middle of a war.

**Moments:** "What's on your mind?" Allen asked him, whispering quietly in the stillness, his arms squeezing around Lavi as he snuggled closer, sighing deeply, breathing in even breaths as the redhead's heart fluttered in his chest as he pulled Allen closer, thoughts blurring and racing before he smiled, painfully, against the other's neck; "... It's not always gonna be like this, is it?" Lavi murmured against Allen's skin, shivering against the rippling chill that echoed from his words; "One day, the war will end... one day, if I'm still alive, I'll leave this place, take a new name, become someone else..." and he could feel Allen swallow thickly, body tense, and Lavi suddenly felt like a traitor as he held on tighter, grasping for something, anything that could stop his heart from betraying him, betraying them both, but Lavi had always been a weak person, and this persona of his was a failure in all regards, and so the words refused to stop; "One day you won't be by my side anymore... you won't be my reason to stay like this, my steady hand... and without you I'll go back to how I used to be... but I don't want that life; a life without love or purpose or meaning... a life without you is just... unbearable," he faltered then, choking on an unknown sorrow he'd never felt before when he felt tears wet his scalp, could feel Allen shaking in his efforts to keep from crying loudly, but when Allen slowly released him to reach for his face, he only burrowed deeper against the smaller boy's chest, ashamed of the wetness on his own cheeks; "I don't want to leave you..." Lavi trembled, desperate, as though he needed permission to stay in Allen's presence, which maybe he did need permission, because Allen was so good and pure and _whole_... a broken creature such as himself could only corrupt such beauty, and a torrent of shame and terror crested over him in a chilling wave, strangling his voice to breaking, as he gave into those fears and the pain and the unbearable pleasure Allen represented; "I... love you Allen... forever, for always... without you I don't exist... without you I don't have meaning, or wants, or reasons... I need to need you, I need you to need me... I'm scared of being Lavi, this person so unworthy of you, but I'm terrified of the very thought of letting go..." but as he started to sob, he was cut off when Allen suddenly laughed, the sound shocking Lavi to his core, charging the air around them with a sudden warmth in the cold that had grasped him, a glimmer of a candlelight flickering brightly in the darkness, destroying everything, healing all, and Lavi, unable to hide, finally tilted his head upwards, to gaze upon Allen as his face shone more brilliantly than he'd ever seen, tears falling freely into the corners of his upturned lips, eyes shining more than the purest diamonds... such warmth and love that both shattered and embraced him tightly, coloring the rich tone as Allen took his face and kissed every inch of skin he could find, the joyous touches so full of gratitude and tenderness, causing an unsurpassed happiness to flow into him, melting him completely, and he fell willingly as Allen, in a single wonderful, terrible moment collapsed his walls to rubble and answered his unspoken prayers without a single word, because there just weren't words to describe the anguish, the ecstasy of the way Lavi's heart broke and was raised to the power of Allen's touch and accepted and needed and _loved_; "I never want you to go Lavi," Allen cried, pressing thankful kisses to his beloved friend's red hair as Lavi could only sob at his voice, "I never want to say goodbye, I never want to see you go to some place I can't follow... so, I will never stop needing you by my side... I will never stop loving you, all of you, for who you are, for how you love me like no one else can even compare... you are everything to me..." and Lavi broke as Allen gently kissed his forehead, breathing him in deeply, and Lavi reached upwards, caressing his face with open wonder and devotion, and whispered, laughed, begged, sobbed, he didn't know, as Allen held him close, unspoken promises tracing his skin, ringing in his ears; "Please... don't ever let me go..."

**Afraid:** _Why are you so afraid of me now? _he thought in desperation, trying not to choke on the fear of loss, of failed love and fading bond and hopeless pride, staring into that face and into those eyes with the want to understand all the intricacies they concealed, everything he didn't or couldn't understand anymore, because his best friend had pulled into himself in... fear...? ... was he so frightening now, his ever mention of care or concern overshadowed by his intensity that he couldn't make sense anymore; _please no_, that was never what he wanted or what he meant... but, when they were slow... when words came softly and carefully, when gazes met with no recoil, when they conversed back and forth smoothly, suddenly it was as if there was no bad blood between them; they were perfectly in synch again... he could look into those eyes familiar and see, for just a moment, into the depths of their old connection... into the place where his heart lay untouched by the chill of fear.

**Over: **He didn't care, he just didn't care; he took off running like the devil himself was nipping at his heels, with all the fluidity of a wolf on the hunt, his feet knowing only one direction and his heart pounding like a distant drum beat in his head, all of it so surreal he couldn't help but think he was dreaming... but, if this was truly a dream, he wasn't going to play by anyone else's rules in this moment; no one's but his own - and he slammed into his best friend with all the vigor of a giddy atomic bomb that nearly sent them both crashing to the ground, recovering just enough to gather that boy into his arms and spin-sway in unstoppable circles, crying and laughing and teasing and screaming and weeping so many tears, lips on his cheek and tasting salt-water not his own, old blood stiff and metallic cracking the fabric under his hands and not caring that they weren't alone, not caring who saw them, because Allen was alive... he was himself... they were okay, and they were free.

**Moving:** The boys were pretty sure their jaws hit the dusty ground when they finally got all of Lenalee's belongings loaded into the van and realized there was hardly enough room for _them _left; Kanda was taking the wheel for the drive back since Lavi had driven the five hours there, but that left shotgun and hardly a space in the back for three more people to squeeze into - Lenalee graciously offered to ride in the back with all her things, and with a sigh, Lavi turned to Allen and said they would have to split the front passenger's seat; even Allen couldn't fit into the back and both he and the redhead were exhausted, living off no sleep and plenty of physical labor muscling all of Lena's heavy furniture in and placing her boxes and suitcases just right... so, slowly, Lavi climbed into the front seat and put his feet up on the dash, and Allen tiredly followed him and stretched out as best as he could over and against his friend, cradled in the makeshift hammock the redhead created with his legs curled back, hoping and praying for some sleep on the way back... and Kanda glanced at them with a roll of his eyes, noting their lack of a seatbelt to Lavi's legs over the airbag and muttered as he threw the gear shift from park to drive: "-Just don't get us pulled over and don't die if we crash," and Allen and Lavi just laughed softly while Lenalee apologized again with a sheepish smile from the back seat, and the redhead countered to his black-haired friend with a friendly jerk of his head toward the blinding tower of stuff behind them, "Yeah, as if Lenalee's road-blocking demon won't stop traffic already!"

**Adoption:** Allen couldn't believe his uncle had only given him an _hour_ to pick one out or leave without one at all, there were just too many to chose from; he walked up and down the rows of pens with a slip leash slapping merrily against his leg, taking a moment to study each dog carefully – some barked and howled and lunged at the mesh doors to reach him, others huddled in the far corners and regarded him fearfully… he took out four dogs that seemed ideal and took them to the yard to see how they interacted, but none of them seemed to respond in the way he was looking for… after some time he wasn't even sure _what _he was looking for; he only knew he didn't want just any dog, he wanted a dog he could really bond with, play with, go anywhere with, and love completely with like how he felt so deprived of… getting frustrated and knowing his time was running out, the white-haired boy frantically searched through the last few rows again, growing more anxious by the moment because he had wanted a dog for years and it had taken years to persuade his uncle; this was his only chance to find a friend, he was fifteen years old and he didn't know what having a friend was like but he craved the experience like a man craved air to breathe – and then, something stopped him in his tracks… a dog he had not noticed the first time around was waiting patiently by his door, watching him with an air of curiosity and intelligence Allen had never seen directed his way before – the dog was tall and lanky, it's face scarred and it didn't have a right eye, but the left eye was clear and undamaged and a deep grey-brown, it's coat long and the most vibrant red the boy had ever seen… Allen knelt and let his fingers drift through the wire mesh, inviting the dog closer and the animal warily sniffed him, still curious… easing the door open, Allen allowed the tall red dog to exit and slipped the leash over his head, but the creature seemed to have no real interest in the fact that he was a lunge away from freedom… but rather, he sat down at Allen's foot and looked up at the boy with that same intelligent gaze, and Allen couldn't help but reach down and stroke that red head, fur so soft underneath his touch, studied the dog's untroubled gaze on him in return and noticed for the first time the sliver of emerald green in the dog's only eye... something seemed to pass between them right then, a connection of some kind, and Allen bit his lip as he mussed the dog's face with his hands, stroked the long scar both curiously and tenderly, and felt the animal relax beneath his affectionate touch; like he had been made to be there for him, exclusively responsive to him alone though the distractions in the noisy humane society were many, and without even noticing he had moved the boy realized they were forehead to forehead, leaning into each other and still as could be, speaking whole stories without words… and as Allen massaged his new friend's ears and watched him squint in happy pleasure, he swallowed hard over the thickness in his throat and for the first time started to smile… _maybe I wasn't foolish to look for a connection after all, maybe I really could make another living creature happy_… and then murmured softly, "Hey buddy… would you like to come home with me?" and the dog delicately licked his deformed left palm once in answer, as though he had been waiting for that question to come and had understood every word, and Allen couldn't help but laugh softly as he stood and encouraged the other to walk with him – he didn't know a thing about this dog, he didn't know what troubles or obstacles they would face together, but the connection was strong and enough for him, the look that dog gave him that seemed to say: _I've been waiting for you, I already love you and I can't wait to be your friend, so what took you so long?_... and Allen was willing to spend every moment they had together finding out.

O~o~o~o~O

_Thank you so much for reading. Many hugs and virtual cookies for you! I love your comments and thoughts, they always brighten my day. Catch you next time. :)_


	19. Waiting To Be Taken Home

_To anyone who thought I was dead – I'm not! Sorry to disappoint. ;) But I finally have the internet going at my new house and I can finally sit down and update this. I know you've heard me say this before, but this installment will always stick out to me... some of my all-time favorite prompts are in this section. I really hope you enjoy them as well. They were such a pleasure to read and write! Oh, and by the way – Krisy has created a new fanfic profile – she's under my favorite authors as "Road of Ruin" – just so you know why I changed the summary notes for this story._

_A few notes... Furball, Last, Tonight, Integrity, Thankful, Disturbed, Overrated, and Bubbles are AU – the rest can fit into the original story in some form or another. Call and Prince are separate yet connected prompts – they don't really follow each other but are very related. I didn't visibly connect them, but I'm sure you'll see how they reflect each other. There is one instance of heavy language in Tonight - just to warn you._

_Also, as a side note, I tried to theorize exactly what the name of this story means... and thus, in form true to my love of metaphor, Warrior was born._

_I truly hope you enjoy reading. :)_

O-o-o-o-O

**Spouse:** "... I know what she'll be like..." Allen said with a knowing laugh as he leaned back in the couch, "-she won't be the demanding type, it will all be in her eyes... she'll just look at you with a face you can't refuse-" and was silenced with knuckles grinding playfully into his skull accompanied by a snort of half embarrassment and half amusement; Lavi rolled his eye and just listened to Allen snicker against his shoulder, a special fondness widening the smile on his face, and when Allen finally looked up with a face that clearly said _tell me I'm wrong - I dare you, _he merely shrugged: "Maybe I will find a girl someday, but it's hard to even imagine right now with all we're responsible for..." he chuckled once, looking down into understanding silver eyes and his expression softened in quiet resolution, "-and besides, even if I do find someone like that..." the redhead let his forehead rest against Allen's temple and felt the other lean back into him like he always did, breathing in the familiarity and the safety and felt a peace he only knew with him... "-she's going to have a time of it taking the place of my best friend."

**Furball:** It was funny really, how they met because of their pet cats - never noticing each other as they walked past to their respective rooms in the apartment complex, never talking, just brief hellos and "Nice day today" their furthest line of communication, until the day the redhead's cat, a scarlet tom he'd named Rabi, shot out from between his legs full-tilt at the unsuspecting boy, mewling loudly at the fluffy white kitten that had been contentedly purring in her master's arms before Rabi came calling and she leapt easily out of the grip holding her, causing Rabi to skitter to the side, directly in the path of the boy's legs, and Lavi was forced to act quickly as he tripped and toppled over, yelling in surprise as the two of them landed none-too-gently into a muddled mess of limbs on the floor, and their cats, proud of the disaster they caused, meowed happily and rubbed their fur against each other, oblivious to how Lavi and Allen just gaped at them and then slowly shared a gaze, faces burning with embarrassment, before bursting into easy laughter.

**Last:** Distracted and already late, Lavi gave his best friend a quick hug and headed for the door of their apartment, but a soft sound stopped and made him turn around; and there stood Allen from his prior spot on the couch, dressed up in a thick comforter, paler than usual because of his odd illness, and the redhead couldn't move another step away when his heart suddenly caved... he dropped his bag again and walked back, this time enveloping his friend deep into his arms with a whisper of, "... I'm sorry... let me try again..." when he again remember with a pang what Allen had said to him in the hospital two weeks ago: _Whenever you say goodbye, hug me like it's the last time you'll ever see me... _and Allen leaned into him with a sigh, trembling a little but still thanking without words, _... because one day, it will be._

**Burning:** As they tightened the ropes around the wooden stake at his back and consequently his wrists, Allen didn't look up; the wood around the base of the platform was dry and ready, and all he could emptily think was _it was over_; everything he had ever done, every lesson he had ever learned, every thought he had ever had, and every choice he had ever made was going to end right here... and as they announced his verdict and sentence as death by the torch, he let his head hang and didn't say a word, his eyes closed so they wouldn't see the fear or the sorrow... the snap, crackle, burn, and roar of the growing fire around his feet made him go dry in the face and cold in the heart, but a cry suddenly went up from the observing crowd and against his will, Allen looked up - through the fast-spreading flames, he saw one of the guards fall backwards, a knife imbedded in his shoulder, and the hazy figure of a man shot through the weakened human barrier and leapt through the burning flames... and Allen's heart leapt at not the action, nor the face, nor the voice, but the touch of hands on his face and though he stood bound his face was pressed into a familiar shoulder and held close... and as he struggled not to weep, attempting to whisper that _this was his end damn it, that his dear friend had no right to die with him, he would never forgive himself even in the next world if Lavi died this way, _dry lips silenced him with a kiss to the crown of his head and an arm wrapped around his upper back, his bonds cut loose, and he heard a firm, strong whisper of,_ "Innocence... activate."_

**Tonight:** It didn't matter that it was after midnight, Lavi vaulted out of bed before he fully registered what he was doing when he heard the tearful, angry voice on the other end of the phone, the voice that meant Cross had come home drunk again and, despite the late hour, Allen was already on the street and running for the redhead's apartment two miles away - it wasn't long before there was a soft but rapid knock on his door, and the redhead barely got it open before he was nearly plowed over; slender arms winding around his ribcage so tight he swore Allen was going to break him one day, but he didn't care... he just stood there and held the other tight, noting how the boy was only dressed in a sleeveless sleep shirt and loose pajama pants in the frigid autumn air as he soothed the hot tears, brushed white hair back, and his hand met blood; Lavi realized Allen was bleeding rather heavily and silently seethed in anger at the boy's guardian for being such a violent bastard when he was wasted... without a word Lavi led Allen into his kitchen and lifted him up onto the counter, leaving him there just long enough to grab a first-aid kit... and Allen quivered uncontrollably as Lavi cleaned and dressed the wound on his cheek - made by a little carving knife - attempting to explain what had happened; how the fight had started over nothing and escalated from there, to the point where Cross had insulted and degraded everything Allen was and cared about, had called him stupid, useless, a fucking waste of money and time and air and had nearly kicked him out the door when he tried to get away... Allen fingered the longer strands of his bangs out of his face and willed himself to stop crying; he hated his guardian but the man still got to him... but couldn't help it when Lavi stepped in against the corner of the countertop, gently lifted his face, and whispered to him evenly, "Allen, there's three things I want you to understand right now - one, tonight I'm calling the police; I've got more than enough evidence to get him arrested now... two, you're staying with me; you're not going back home... and three-" Lavi's lone eye grew moist as he gathered his friend close... "-you're incredible, you're irreplaceable, and you're worth more than he'll ever know... you're my brother and I want you to stay with me always, I want us to be old fogies together-" -Allen snorted an unconscious laugh through his tears- "...-I love you, buddy..." and something in the younger's chest hitched in the middle of a breath... arms crawled weakly back around Lavi's neck and Allen started to weep anew when the redhead returned the gesture tightly, and whispered hoarsely in return: "I love you too... thank you, I'm so sorry, but thank you..."

**Integrity:** "I don't get my coach sometimes," Allen muttered as he slid into the seat next to Lavi's in the cafeteria - "Why, what happened?" - "You know how we all had to turn in our equipment in order to get reimbursed for it, right?" - "Yeah..." - "I did that the other day, and I just got my money back, but he overpaid me." - "How much?" - "A dollar." - "You're getting bent out of shape over a dollar?" - "It isn't _my _dollar; I want to give it back but he already makes fun of me enough for being a 'goody-two-shoes', I've had his crap all year..." - "Oh Allen, with a man like your guardian sometimes I really wonder where you got your genes..." and Allen debated until after the last bell rang, grit his teeth with a resigned sigh and made his way to the coach's office; he entered quietly, plunked the dollar bill down on the man's desk with a mutter of, "You overpaid me," before turning around as fast as he could - but halted a moment when he heard his coach say "Pay up," to the assistant manager... his coach had bet _$100 _on him that he would bring that one dollar back.

**Thankful: **"Pray with me?" Mana asked him then, surprising Lavi into a stunned silence as he took the seat next to the hospital bed, lovingly grasping his son's tightly wrapped hand and pressing a gentle kiss to Allen's forehead while the boy slept on, still recovering from his near-death experience in the store fire, and Lavi watched, guilty and uncomfortable as he laced his fingers with the pale ones of Allen's other hand, swallowing thickly as Mana gazed his way; "I don't... believe in God," Lavi whispered, ashamed as he turned his eye away from his friend's father, tense and ready to be reprimanded and told to leave, but Mana only chuckled in the stillness, not unkindly, and told him plainly, "Even those who don't believe need to know love and are wise enough to recognize we are undeserving of such happiness... we all, believers or no, have the ability to be thankful... are you not thankful for Allen young one?" and Lavi could only stare, tears pricking at his eye, before gazing at Allen's beautiful face and smiled; "More than he'll ever know."

**Disturbed:** "Lavi... Lavi, did you hear something?" Allen intoned carefully, as if he were afraid he was being overheard and reached out to his roommate's bed, grasping hold of the redhead's arm and unceremoniously waking him at six in the morning - Lavi groaned softly and muttered for a moment before he lay back and listened; he did indeed hear a clicking on the linoleum floor of their kitchen, a sound they both knew well... Lavi rose up, reached for his bat; intent on going to investigate the noise when suddenly the clicking got louder and faster, turned into thudding in the hallway, and something bounded right into their room quite happily; "... Deke, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Allen whispered as the lanky mix-breed pointer walked proudly into their room and Lavi groaned, this time in despair for his lost sleep over nothing; Allen patted the foot of his bed for the dog to re-inhabit and whispered sheepishly, "Sorry... false alarm..." and Lavi just grumped at him playfully.

**Worth:** The shot rang out, an echo of thunder through the silence, and Lavi's body jerked as he gasped, his hands faltering just as his fingertips touched Allen's stunned face, then he shuddered, confused, unable to breathe when his knees buckled when his knees buckled and he choked as Allen caught him and they fell to the ground together, Allen's screams echoing in a place so far away while he tried to find his voice, a wave of fire and pain consuming his body, tightening his chest, constricting his lungs until they no longer wanted to rise, and he could no longer speak, no longer grasp onto words - there simply were no more words, only Allen, the feel of him, the smell of him, the way he was screaming something Lavi could no longer understand, desperate, calling for him, for something, for anything, holding him tighter and tighter, trying to keep him rooted to the earthly realm, and when the world turned white, Lavi let himself go with a smile, relieved he was taking Allen's place on Death's mantle - at the end of all things, Allen's life had never been more worth it.

**Conflict:** There were times, though he never understood why, when he needed to be held... and after a lifetime of wanting only to be independent, it was strange at the very least how conflicting some emotions could be; he wanted to run and escape into the safety of someone else's arms and let himself believe nothing could hurt him there, he wanted to forget the cruelty and the brokenness of the world they lived in, even if only for a moment... so sometimes, Allen ran for Lavi with seemingly no reason at all... because only then would the hell in his heart and the demons in his head withdraw, his focus would return, and his world would still... and he could pray again.

**Look: **In a quiet moment, waiting for the train to come in that lonely depot in the middle of the night, Allen pulled his feet in on the bench and let his head rest on Lavi's shoulder with a sigh... the redhead looked down at him with a fond smile, and when he murmured almost sleepily; "What are you thinking about?" - Allen's brow creased in thought, letting a few moments pass before he lifted his face up to look his friend in the eye, and explained quietly: "I was told to never look back, to keep walking, but the moment I looked over my shoulder I saw everything I gave up on, all of the things I let go of, and all the people who let go of me; and it was the worst feeling of my life... but, when I look at you... I want you to be something I can stand still with..."

**Overrated:** "Shut up!" Lavi roared at the other boys and slammed the ring leader aside, jamming the end of his staff into the other's chest with skin-melting rage, and hissed with every degree of merciless intensity he could muster: "He may not be the strongest person in the world but he sure as hell is a lot stronger than you, so get the _hell_ out of my sight," booting him three feet with a well aimed kick just for good measure – the others followed quickly, unwilling to fall under the hammer of Lavi's justifiable wrath, and ran like the cowards they were; the redhead let them take off and turned to the doubled up body they had left in the grass... he sat down close by and patiently didn't move for a moment, not until Allen shifted uncomfortably and rolled onto his back, looking up at Lavi from the ground with a new shiner swelling on his cheek, but his eyes remained unbroken and his expression little more than empty... and Lavi sighed, reaching out and taking his friend's hand in his own, giving the cold fingers a squeeze as he whispered, "I don't get it Allen, you whip me every time we spar; I _know_ you could take on all of them if you wanted... why do you let them beat you?" and Allen breathed out a sigh, and with a wince pushed himself up into a seated position, never once pulling his hand away from Lavi's quiet grip as he leaned into his friend's side and answered, "Because they're overrated, pissy kids; there's no honor fighting them and I really don't care what they think of me... it's just easier when they think they're the ones in control... I know I could take them, and you know I could take them... what more could I possibly need?" and Lavi chuckled then, taking the unspoken _besides, I __respect__ you enough to fight you _with a real smile, wrapping his free arm around his friend's shoulders and chaffing his upper back carefully, muttering with cheeky amusement: "Just promise me something... I want to be there the day you snap and show them how wrong they are about you..." and Allen chuckled softly against his shoulder, leaning his head against Lavi's with familiar ease... "I promise... but for now... I like how you're the only one who knows who I really am."

**Ghost:** Everyone else had given up hope, he knew, and sometimes he wondered if they were right, that the torture Lavi had endured had truly collapsed the walls of the young Bookman's sanity, and that horrible hour of hearing him scream and sob upon his rescue had perhaps been the last of his humanity bleeding out of him while Allen had held his broken body tight - and Allen wondered if it were right to keep doing this, spending his every waking moment with the redhead in the hospital wing, telling him stories while helping him function, smiling and laughing at his own words even as Lavi's face stayed slack, eye haunted and unfocused, lost in some faraway place not even Allen could follow him into... but sometimes too, when he gripped the other's hand in his own, guilty and heartbroken at the sight of the missing and broken fingers, or when he awoke early in the morning, warm against the familiar press of Lavi's body, he would notice the way Lavi's gaze would linger on his face, a hint of recognition lighting the empty hollow Allen hadn't quite gotten used to even after all the long months, and it was moments like that, when the deathly silence Lavi had taken to broke to say his name, only his name, only _Allen... Allen... Allen..._ that Allen began to realize that maybe his hope wasn't unfounded after all, and that somewhere, deep inside his tattered shell, the ghost of Lavi was still shining out, waiting to be taken home at last.

**Call:** The sight and the smell of this field was sickening, not one of grass or trees but red burning flesh, and Allen lay in the middle of it - akin to a child searching for shapes in the clouds, on his back in that open meadow of death and filth that caked his skin and clung to his being as though he were part of it, and he may as well have been, for he could not rise; his arms and hands lay stretched away from his core in the blood-soaked grass and one knee pulled up toward the sky, empty and hopeless, eyes closed and mouth partially open for want to whisper something, something, _something_, he knew not what... until something brushed his consciousness, like an impression more than words, and he found the strength to turn his head to look up - and saw, for the first time, the form of someone else locked in a similar state as himself close by, humming quietly... so Allen, beyond all logical reason, snapped the ties that held him bound to the ground and crawled, like a boneless infant with no real strength to extend, over the blood-muddy ground until he reached a booted foot... and crawled further, following the length of a leg, the sturdiness of a hip, the subtle concave of a belly, the hardness of a chest and could go no further, collapsing as his strength caved on top of the body of the one he had found... his hazy eyes were locked on the other's face thrown back, jaw line, red hair, closed eye and a wordless whisper from that quiet heart to his, something that spurred him forward with a desperation he didn't entirely understand and his heart ached with a loneliness he couldn't describe, his jaw trembling as he struggled to whisper a name, a phrase, something, anything, to see the other wake and look at him, just to _see_ him so he would no longer be alone, but the face he traced with blood-coated fingers did nothing to acknowledge his presence, nothing at all... and nothing changed until Allen started to cry, his voice urged unknowingly as his tongue formulated the name _Lavi, Lavi, Lavi _from a wealth of knowledge he didn't know he had, soft tears that fell down his cheeks and onto the other's chest, wetting the fabric of his ruined shirt and slowly, slowly, slowly started to drag the blood away... and as the blood faded from his heart, Lavi started to waken, sucking in small, halting breaths of the poisonous air until he realized with a start the weight over him, and found Allen, still weeping softly, slowly, painfully, against his heart; washing away not only the blood but breaking the ties also that held him so bound to the horrifying dream until he could move freely, and he labored then to rise; gathering Allen's limp form into his arms as he did so, and he couldn't find it in himself to be revolted by the abuse done to either of them by the bloody field: because while they were both covered in lifeblood set loose, Allen's face glistened with the unspoken words of his soul, clear as that of an angel's tears... and, beyond all logical reason, Lavi smiled warmly, impossibly tender, fiercely enraptured by Allen's barely conscious face and the way he blinked heartbrokenly, tearfully at him in return, and pulled the younger boy in closer to kiss his cheek; lips traveling and lingering gently up and down Allen's jaw line and tasting nothing but a peaceful sweetness in the blood and the tears, understanding now the call the boy had sent out to his heart, the call with no words, and hoarsely, lovingly, brokenly murmured to the one who had set him free from the dream of death, _"I love you."_

**Prince:** He wouldn't, couldn't speak a word when he entered the room at last, took in the graying walls and ironically bright sunlight from the glass windowpane overhead, past Komui and Bookman and several other unidentifiable faces he couldn't immediately recognize, but Bookman of all the people present was the one to nod at him, indicating through a chilled expression that he could move forward... and so, Allen did... his knees made contact with the foot of the bed and he let his weight carry him forward to lean on his hands, crawling over a trembling body that he quietly sought to match, and lay down on his right side next to him... Allen didn't touch him at first, rather choosing to take in Lavi's thin, worn, fading appearance carefully, like a once fantastic ink painting ruined with the touch of hands who loved it not, shuddering violently with fever and illness; _he's dying_, Lenalee had warned him with tears in her eyes, but Allen shoved that thought aside, he couldn't let it weigh him down now... so he waited patiently for Lavi to finally, finally look at him with such a heaviness in his emerald gaze, an irreversible heaviness that struck with such a fierceness to Allen's heart that he couldn't ignore it... and not looking, not caring, not wondering if they were still being observed, with a tenderness no one had ever seen Allen lifted Lavi's upper body up just enough to slide one leg underneath him, and even as the redhead was lain gently back down his friend curled up against him as close as he could possibly be; Allen let his left knee rest against Lavi's right hip and let his back curve just enough so they could lay face to face... and Allen just looked at Lavi... studied him with an openness he never had before... took in his face and all the tiny twitches and quivers, the hair brushing his nose and the sweat dripping on his brow, his wheezing and coughs and uneven breaths and whispers indiscernible; he did look like Death roamed not far away and for a moment Allen's heart clenched with an emotion he knew, but couldn't name... but even if Lavi seemed like a smeared and wasted painting, a lost and broken creature just waiting for time to end, to Allen he was still as exquisite as a prince adorned with a crown of silver and jade... and with tears in his eyes, he trailed fingertips down Lavi's hollow cheek before sliding back into his unruly red hair and kissed him on the forehead once, twice, three times, four; each never in exactly the same place as the one before... quiet, and gentle, and sweet; soft touches that knew no sin in intention or desire, but expressed only love in their length and their whisper... but Lavi's face contorted with both pain and vulnerable panic, openly afraid because he knew he was at his end, he had nothing left he could give... he feared breaking his best friend's heart when he gave in to Death's call, he feared breaking his own when their bond would undoubtedly be lost attempting to spread over dimensions when he lost the fight to breathe, the thought choking him painfully even as his badly shaking hand bunched desperately the fabric of Allen's shirt... but tears filled his only eye to overflow, the thick fog of his fear breaking with a ray of strongest sun when Allen shook his head, wordlessly asking for nothing because he didn't want anything, healing the fear with his faith, and whispered with the tenderness only a broken, complete heart knew; _"... I love you."_

**Bubbles:** Mana felt his mouth start to twitch into a smile, despite his efforts to look serious at the scent before him, but the way his son and his best friend, fresh out of high school, were crammed in the large tub lathering each other with foamy white bubbles from the bath while laughing hysterically made Mana remember older days when Allen had been shy and small and recluse and Lavi had been a like a firecracker waiting to go off, and for a moment his foster sons were little again, making shapes and hats and beards out of the foam and giggling uncontrollably, and when they finally noticed him standing there, he was pleased when they both turned brilliant shades of red and he couldn't stop himself from chuckling at the sight, grateful that even in the wake of life, some things never really did change.

**Monster:** Allen dreamed one night on the run, of Lavi's weakened, defenseless form bowed over in an elegant chair while an illness battled within relentlessly; but the redhead still looked up with an almost sightless, hazy emerald eye and smiled at him softly, whispering _it's okay Allen... I'm glad you're safe... I'm glad you're alive..._ and Allen shook his head in the dream, his face full of suffering and fear and shame and regret, rejecting his friend's care with his own self-hate, but Lavi was undaunted, kissing the air around him with a long sigh before fading away... and Allen woke, looked up at Kanda's silent silhouetted against the night sky and felt the tears... _Lavi... I don't think I can save you... I'm a monster... a monster for putting myself first..._

**Spastic:** Lavi barely knew what hit him when someone jumped onto his back with wild giggles and no regard for his near death experience colliding with the wall; but rather, that someone locked arms around his jaw and legs around his waist and declared with loud delight; "I'm taller than you now!" and, like a woodpecker, began rapid-fire kissing the top of his head... Lenalee looked in their general direction, looked at Lavi pin-wheeling his arms and trying not to laugh, looked at Allen refusing to relinquish control of Lavi's head and laughing for him, and with a fond smile said: "I'm outlawing caffeine."

**Faces:** Allen held his pillow tightly and buried his face into it to stifle his laughter while Lavi curled his hand and shaped his thumb to form a mouth, using a pen to hastily draw in two slanted, angry eyes and a bit of hair before lowering his voice as far as he could, sending Allen into another round of mirth: "_Konnichi wa_... my name is Kanda... I like soba and sword fighting and sucking the fun out of everything... fear me if you dare... grr!"

**Warrior:** After long days, the three of them would meet up in the hallways of leading to the living quarters of the Black Order, and Lavi would fall into step with Allen and his perpetual shadow back to their rooms; they never openly spoke, with Link on one side of Allen and Lavi on the other, but somehow Link never noticed Allen's hand slip into the redhead's far warmer grip for the duration of whatever precious time they had, unobserved and unjudged; Lavi only had that precarious connection to read and translate his dear friend's mood, mental state, and immediate need... sometimes they would pass prewritten notes between their hands to be read when alone, sometimes Allen would grip Lavi's hand so hard the redhead knew he was close to falling apart, and sometimes they just walked, but they _always _walked... and Lavi did his best, even under Link's scrutiny and Allen's fake protests where needed, to do what he could – to embrace his friend when they said good night, or try out different ways to distract Link long enough to speak a few words in private, speak in coded phrases Link wouldn't understand, or use unique expressions created during their previous time together – both missing the freedom they had once known but their interactions passed with only mild annoyance from their unwilling third party observer and never true suspicion, for once knowing luck on their side... and when Lavi would walk past Allen's door on his own, leaving his friend alone yet again in his shadow's unending presence, he would look back and see Allen watching him, silver eyes aching with the want to follow but thanking and cheering him silently on for being crafty and cunning and clever a friend as a warrior, and when the redhead was gone, Allen never felt quite as alone as the cold sheets he slipped under every night wanted him to believe, especially on the nights when he clenched in his hand a tiny folded piece of paper with a message Lavi had penned for him beforehand in ink.

O-o-o-o-O

_If you have any thoughts, I would love to hear them. Take care, my friends... until next time. :)_


	20. Just A Matter Of Time

_Hey there, everyone! I'm sorry for it being so long – my life has been so crazy. If I promised you anything in the last few weeks, I am working on it! Hopefully by the end of tonight, I can be all caught up with almost everything. I haven't forgotten. _

_Here are my short n' sweet author notes for this go-around:_

_Liar__, __Pack__, __Transformation__, __Almost__, __Passage__, __Theatre__, __See__, and __Requisite__ are the AU babies. ;3 Everything else can reasonably fit into the DGM world... at least, it could in my mind. ^^"_

_Pack__, __Transformation__, __Almost__, __See__, and __Compromising__ are all based off true events. _

_Passage__ (which Krisy wrote) was inspired by Skyrim. X3_

_Liar__, (which I wrote) was loosely inspired by the movie Independence Day, and also in which, the name "love" is used. I use the nickname "love" frequently for my dearest friends – for me, it's not a strictly romantic endearment, but a very personal one. Just so we're all clear. ;)_

_I think that's everything for now – so please, enjoy. ^^_

O-o-o-o-O

**Doubt:** "You're a fool," Deke spat from somewhere behind him but Lavi merely shrugged carelessly within his dream, sitting down with One in his lap, his younger self trembling in the fear they all felt, wide, tear-filled stare clearly screaming _I don't want to die, I don't want to die _even though the boy made no sound, snuggled in Lavi's arms and under his chin while Forty-Eight scoffed at their backs: "Allen Walker can't save us now... it's too late," but his warning fell onto uncaring ears as Lavi held One closer; "I won't stop waiting for Allen to come," he whispered into the boy's hair with a smile, "-even if I have to wait forever..." to which Deke fell quiet, whispering an almost solemn, "So we die waiting," which caused Lavi to chuckle, warm and resigned: "Maybe so... but that doesn't change the fact that he'll come."

**Liar:** He honestly didn't know what he was feeling when he entered that hospital room when the doctor nodded, whether it was dread, apprehension, grief, but enter he did; a soft grin whispering of secrets as he took the chair by the bedside and let a hand fall to rest on his friend's head... and Allen hazily blinked his eyes open, glassy and lackluster until he recognized Lavi's face and couldn't help but smile when the redhead murmured gently, "Hey love... fancy meeting you here..." and Allen, battered and bruised and wrapped up in gauze choked words out slowly in a raspy voice, "I'm sorry... I didn't come home when you asked me to..." and Lavi only shook his head, recalling the phone conversation they had had hours before over Allen staying late at work, wanting to shake away the little argument over it and his dear friend's soft whisper of _I'm sorry Lavi, but if I don't figure this out I'm going to be in trouble – please just wait for me... _and his sigh of frustration at the time for their plans of the evening delayed – it was the last time they had spoken before the devastating car accident, a horrific collision that had killed the other driver instantly and left Allen in critical condition... Lavi had raced to the local hospital as fast as his motorcycle could carry him, spent nearly an hour trying to persuade the nurses to let him in even though he wasn't family, and was only allowed at Allen's ER doctor, who had said plainly that Allen was asking for him... "Don't worry about it..." Lavi murmured, throat tight as he remembered the doctor's grave explanation of his best friend's internal bleeding... "-because the doctor said-... you're gonna be just fine..." and Allen laughed weakly at him, knowing him so well through his façade, glassy eyes filling with tears as he whispered, "... _Liar_..." and pulled him close with trembling fingers, weeping softly when he felt Lavi, at last, start to sob against his chest.

**Pack:** For once they were all extremely glad to have arrived a half hour before open skating and shared knowing, victorious looks as they clumped toward the rink in their ice skates past the line of people that nearly reached the door; Kanda had skated several times and broke out onto the smooth ice like a swan on water, but Allen stayed behind without much of a choice – Lavi was clinging to his arm like a child, looking out over the impossibly smooth white and shook his head violently, but Allen wouldn't hear it; he took the redhead's hand and let him walk along the side, encouraging and instructing as they went, and after a few laps around Lavi had warily discovered his ice legs and the real fun began – evidenced by Allen's cell phone camera, they built memories the whole evening: skating on one leg, spinning in circles, stopping with a wave of shaved ice flying, and so much more... but, as Allen reflected later that night, uploading the video onto his profile, the finest moment had to have been packing a fistful of melting slush down Kanda's jacket – and he still had the bruise to prove it.

**Paper:** The first thing Allen noticed when he awoke were the piles of paper cranes laying all around his bed, covering every available surface possible in the corner of the hospital wing; the second thing he noticed was Lavi, slumped on a chair beside him, a lovely paper crane resting in his hands, just completed, and Allen slowly, carefully grabbed for it, turning it in his bandaged hands as softly as he could, staring down at the precise folds in wonder; he didn't look up until the Matron walked to his bed with a relieved smile, about to shake the redhead awake before Allen stopped her, inquiring instead about the cranes, to which the Matron gave him a rare smile: "The legend of the paper cranes... it's said that if you fold one thousand, your wish will come true," and Allen felt tears prick at his eyes as the depth of Lavi's gift settled over him; "How many did he make?" he asked then and the Matron laughed quietly, eyes amazed and in awe of the Bookman as she whispered, "Two-thousand-seventy-three... he wasn't taking any chances with you it seems."

**Transformation:** Allen wasn't exactly the type to go out of his way for a stranger's personal needs; he would step up if they were in danger and give an answer when asked a question, but otherwise, he kept to himself walking the streets of the town he lived in… until one day, while he was headed home just after a full day of work, he noticed something odd – a young man with wild red hair a few years his senior was walking slowly down the same road as he but in the opposite direction, against the general flow of people, and he seemed to be searching for something… he looked at every face in the crowd of stressed, distracted people with a neutral but hopeless expression, and Allen didn't know what he was looking for but thought wistfully to himself for reasons he didn't have, _I bet... he has a beautiful smile…_ and when the redhead neared where he was and locked eyes with his waiting expression, Allen smiled at him – a soft, warm smile in a field of grey that made the other stop completely in his tracks, stunned disbelief written all over his face that made Allen pause from passing him on; he made his way through the crowd of home-goers in the evening sun and walked up to this curious redhead, who, when he was close, whispered in a voice constrained with emotion, "I don't know why you smiled at me... but you just saved my life..." and Allen's eyes widened in shock as he barely managed to ask _how? _and the redhead explained carefully: "I won't bore you with the story... but about an hour ago, I left a note on my pillow saying I was going on a walk to the bridge... and if one person, just one person, would smile at me on the way, I would not jump..." and the redhead smiled at Allen, painfully like he wasn't used to doing so very often but smiled nonetheless, and nodded quietly: "Thank you... I'm going to go home and try again."

**Rite:** "I'm not going to randomly burst into flames, am I?" Lavi snorted, yelping when Allen whacked him upside the head, refusing to answer as he continued murmuring under his breath, words in Latin spoken too quietly for the Bookman to catch as he sat on the edge of Allen's bed, staring up at his friend, wondering if the danger level of the newest mission had freaked Allen out to the point of him cracking, and though he himself wasn't sure he'd make it out alive, this strange ritual Allen was doing was starting to worry him more than his possible death, and the strange thick liquid Allen was dripping onto his face smelled sickly sweet to the point of being overwhelming, but before he could make a joke about vampires and blood rites Allen's voice suddenly hit a level he could hear and Lavi sat, transfixed, as Allen drew a cross over his forehead with the oil, tone tense and determined; "May the Lord protect you and guide you through your endeavors," he whispered, reciting, before smiling sadly: "And please... come back to me."

**Adore:** "So it's over then," Bookman muttered to himself, not really bothering that Komui heard his words, too busy gazing at the two young men snuggled together on a bed in the hospital wing, one being Allen Walker, the Destroyer of Time, exhausted but glowing in bliss as he slept against the other, Lavi, his Lavi, former charge and almost-son, who was bandaged from head to foot but smiling peacefully, running his fingers through Allen's hair, murmuring things Bookman never wanted to overhear, especially with that adoring gleam in his eye as he caressed Allen's cheek, and Bookman turned away, ignoring Komui's worried look as they passed from the room unnoticed, nodding to himself; "Will you be all right?" Komui finally asked him, voice low and understanding; "The war is over, and I am needed elsewhere," Bookman shrugged, sidestepping the question altogether – it was too dangerous to answer truthfully; "As for Lavi, well... it was really just a matter of time, wasn't it?"

**Leap:** Allen had fallen many times in his life, from trips on sidewalks to near-fatal slips on mountaintops, from hope to faith, most without intention, all involuntary… but none could compare to the feeling of falling, so wholly, so completely, into Lavi's gaze, and it was terrifying how easily he found himself teetering over the edge, staring into the endless green that gazed so earnestly back and the intensity of the sudden want and need he felt, the desire to let himself fall willingly into the abyss, and finally, when it became too much, when he found himself slipping further and further off the edge, Allen gathered up his courage and whispered into the stillness a simple "I love you" that caught the air and charged it, changing nothing and everything all at once, and Allen finally allowed himself to fall completely into the way Lavi stared, dumbfounded, lost, amazed, as they both stumbled over the edge and laughed, cried in joyous gratitude as his redhead reached out with shaking but sure hands and caught him.

**Blood-Oath:** The cold steel bit easily into his flesh but he barely felt more than a sting of pain; "It will heal quickly," Allen murmured apologetically, but the redhead just shrugged, needing nothing, no words of comfort, his dearest friend's own small wince payment enough as the same knife cut his already red palm open into a similar wound of his own, and when grey eyes then studied him carefully, wordlessly asking him one last time if he wished to turn back, the redhead reached out for his brother's hand with a grim but tender smile and pressed the twin wounds together himself… and as the blood mixed, trapped between their clasped hands, Allen leaned forward and caught Lavi's forehead with his own, and started to whisper with him the words of a blood oath meant only for his ears.

**Paranormal:** Lavi rolled over, only partially awake, only to smack into some unknown form be his side and had to bite his tongue to keep from shrieking instinctively; but a roughened hand caught his wrist and a familiar voice whispered desperately, "Lavi, Lavi – it's only me!" and the redhead exhaled sharply over his best friend's name before relaxing; settling more on his side to face the body curled up so close to his… Lavi quirked a grin at Allen's paranoid behavior – not that he could place blame or ridicule, this hotel was ancient and several locals believed it was haunted – and asked _what, scared of the dark?_, but Allen shook his head and refused to move; whispering with an intensity that made the other hesitate, "Please... just don't send me away..." and at the soft plea and the hands already bunched into his sleep shirt, Lavi didn't have the heart to tease him further, but instead smiled softly and threw an arm around Allen's neck, letting the other pull as close as he possibly could… and as they lay there in mutual silence, listening to the creaks and the taps and the unidentifiable thumps that made them both jump and Allen's strained breathing against Lavi's collarbone, the redhead just ran his fingers over white hair and didn't tell his friend not to be afraid… but just to sleep, safe and deep, while he could.

**Almost:** They didn't talk that first night, absorbed in either shock or numbness; Lavi slept most of the time and Allen didn't leave his side once, paying no mind to how often he was encouraged and even urged by the nurses and doctors alike to take a break, he couldn't be dissuaded… and early one morning, when the clouds shielded the sun and painted the sky with grey, Allen began to talk very softly, very gently about something he had never mentioned before, even as Lavi groggily started to wake… "-had a dark feeling about it, you know... so I hurried through my chores and I drove to his apartment... his roommate let me inside, and said he had locked the bathroom door... I had to kick it open... and I found him, bleeding, all over the tiles... –he died in my arms," and Allen swallowed hard, aching somewhere deep as he took in Lavi's haggard face in the hospital bed, his bruised eye and hollow cheekbones and wrists wrapped up in white gauze with a soft gaze, and tenderly stroked his red hair back, "... I just wanted to te-" but cut off as one bandaged hand rose up to meet his face, settling against his cheek with a softness the boy had rarely known… and Lavi, eye brimming with tears he never usually let anyone see whispered brokenly, "… I'm so sorry…"

**High:** There was a broken, vulnerable high about him, something about being near him that brought out this crazy fear and joy; it was intoxicating, mesmerizing, and inexplicably curious… all Lavi knew was that being around Allen was like a rush to his soul; made him want to do and be like he never had before in ways he barely even dreamed he could, that quiet pang to his nonexistent heart bringing on the ache of his growing defenselessness but that high so unlike anything he'd ever known that he almost didn't care, and didn't want it to end; and for the first time ever, he understood what it meant to feel alive... Allen would say sometimes that being around Lavi made him understand himself better, brought out the truer heart in him so much more complex, and Lavi would say that, around Allen, he never felt so real.

**Passage:** Lavi gazed at the door, transfixed by the lion's head that stared back with ruby eyes, appraising the redhead in silence, but Lavi knew to look beyond the golden face, beyond the lifeless gaze to what lay beyond, to who waited on the other side, lost in an illusion cast by the shadows of the Noah and doubt... so when Allen's voice filtered through the lion's gaping maw, tone stretched and taunt as it whispered, "What is life's greatest illusion?" Lavi gripped his weapon tightly to steady his shaking hands, smiling at the irony of his answer, "Innocence, my Brother," and felt a deep cold chill when the doorway opened and the passage appeared with Allen's voice echoing a soft, "Welcome home."

**Theatre:** There were times Allen cursed his choice of joining an all-male acting troupe, one such time being their newest project in which his slight build and fair looks had landed him the lead female role with his best friend playing opposite as the romantic lead, and the stage direction [They Kiss] was starting to haunt him – not that he didn't trust Lavi, because that was far from the truth, but the thought of the redhead stealing his first kiss from him was daunting to say the least, an apprehension that only grew during rehearsal when the scene was finally set; it took everything in Allen to stay in character, to close his eyes and act like the ceiling wasn't about to collapse on his head, but nothing could stop his shock when Lavi tilted his chin up just so and kissed the corner of his lips, unmoving until the lights dimmed for the scene change and Allen was able to pull back and blink dumbly up at Lavi with a red face until his best friend winked with a "What... you want a real one?" to which Allen promptly shoved the other's hat into his laughing mouth.

**See:** Allen knew something was wrong when he came home early to see Lavi's bag on the couch and his keys on the floor, it was far too early for the redhead to be off his swing shift at the museum and so made quick tracks for the bedroom; and sure enough, the lights were out and the fan was on and Lavi was back in his sleep clothes, his work attire thrown in a pile on the closet floor, and had tucked himself back into bed - Allen knelt by the bedside and whispered to him softly, soon discovering Lavi was fighting off a horrid migraine after a horrid night and as yet could not find sleep... he wasn't much for conversation like usual, but Allen contented himself with occasional and mostly one-sided talk and played with Lavi's hands hanging just past the edge of the mattress: nuzzled them, laughed into them, buffeted them quietly when Lavi wasn't stroking his face weakly and chuckling softly at him in the dark of the room and the whispering cool of the ceiling fan... and after a time, the redhead rose up on an elbow with some effort and pressed their foreheads together, having no words and needing none, marveling silently during several beats of mutual and comfortable silence as his lips brushed his best friend's forehead several times, breathing in familiar air as he affectionately stroked a scarred left cheek with his thumb, marveled and wondered idly with a warming smile amidst the pain how Allen could see, even in the darkness and know through the steady laughter, that he had been weeping...

**Requisite:** "It's no use," Allen despaired, slumping against his desk, hands gripping his hair tightly as he groaned in frustration, "-just one lousy credit short and everything's full!" to which his (oh so helpful) best friend and roommate chuckled at his antics from the couch, his own fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop, his own quest for college classes ended successfully just hours ago and Allen threw a wad of paper at his smirking face, beyond comforting as he saw his hard-earned scholarship disappearing before his eyes because he'd failed to acquire just one more class before they were all taken, and banged his head on his desk; Lavi watched him with growing amusement and a bit of concern, and pulled up the class registry window, trying to find at least something small that could save his friend, and when he finally found it ten pages later, he laughed - drawing Allen's attention with: "Hey, Karate class is open - requisites include physical fitness and the stupidity to take a kick to the face for a single credit... just what you need!"

**Rent:** Allen was staring, hard and unblinking into his eye, and Lavi would be lying if it wasn't a bit unsettling the way his friend's face was slowly lighting up with that wide, shit-eating grin Lavi knew to avoid, and when he finally cracked and asked what was up, Allen cackled like a madman, exclaimed he was bored and was therefore attempting to read the redhead's thoughts; Lavi could only laugh at his determined answer before tapping the shorter boy's nose and sniggered, "You're more than welcome in my brain Allen, but I'm warning you, stay too long and I'll start charging rent!"

**Ghosting:** Mana had told him one night, so long ago, when the jeers and the bullying became too much and Allen had never felt so low of himself, that beauty was in the eye of the beholder, sacred to the heart and mind, and Allen remembered, as Mana snuggled him close and laughed quietly into his hair, being told that beauty was to be found in the most surprising of places... a sentiment he had never fully believed until Lavi walked into his life, and now, while Allen traced his cheeks with his blackened hand, ghosting his fingers over the smooth, warm surface, he could only whisper to his beloved father that he'd been right before resting a kiss to Lavi's temple, breathing him in as deeply as his lungs would allow, heart swelling and warmth blooming in his chest, and Allen smiled at the enveloping feeling, lips curling against Lavi's skin; "... You're beautiful."

**Wonders:** Lavi slowly eased himself onto the side of the mattress, careful not to wake Allen as he leaned over him, a tender smile on his face as he caressed the boy's cheek, his hair, his neck in a silent farewell, transfixed by the way the sight of moonlight on silver strands never ceased to steal his breath, and he pressed a small kiss to Allen's forehead, knowing full well he'd catch hell for leaving without a proper goodbye if he made it back from his mission in one piece, but couldn't bear to disturb his slumber, too lost in the moment, his gaze soaking in every detail he already knew to memorize all over again, before he kissed Allen once, voice low and honest over his ear, "Of all the wonders I have seen, nothing is as wonderful as you."

**Compromising:** "You know, ordinarily this would concern me..." Allen groggily heard Lavi say with a distinct smile in that voice and feebly attempted to fight his way out of sleep, but he quickly figured out what his best friend was talking about – he shifted to the side and his leg met with something firm he wasn't used to, bringing reality back home when he opened his eyes and found a cheerful face resisting his sleep-drugged knee from slipping all the way back to the couch cushion, and when Lavi saw that he was 'awake' he started to laugh, Allen turning a distinct shade of red as Lavi explained through his chortling mirth – "Dude, do you have any idea how long I've been sitting here with you twitching your fingers or using my head to prop up your knee; hell, I even played with you leg and stroked your arm and talked to you and you wouldn't wake up – you were _out cold, _man, what were you dreaming about?"

O-o-o-o-O

_Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think – your thoughts and comments are so encouraging and appreciated. :) Take care! _


	21. Save His Life

_Wow, it's been six months since I've updated this? What can I say? Life and I are currently in a lemon-throwing war. If anyone knows the newer evasive tactics, I would love to hear them. A special thank you to anyone who is still reading, even if you don't comment or fave – it's really awesome that you've given this little project a try. We really appreciate it! :D_

_Argument__, __Stupid__, __Stupid (Revised)__, __Mourn__, __Almost__, __Theatre__, __Ship__, __Bruderlein__, __Sword__, __Clown__, __Cat__, and __Mirror__ are the newest AU offspring. ;) Other than that, it's feasible original storyline. If you have any thoughts or requests, I would love to hear them. Happy reading!_

O-o-o-o-O

**Argument:** In hindsight, as Komui let his hand meet his face, that he should have found a _different _pair in the class to demonstrate the importance of non-verbal communication, because these two just weren't normal and they weren't making his point – the class was laughing, he was shaking his head, and Allen and Lavi were standing in front of the whiteboard, blindfolded, and attempting to fake an argument but it was a failed argument at best; they were nearly forehead to forehead and chewing each other out with oddly sarcastic smiles on their faces, so certain of themselves and each other that no one could mislead or get a rise out of either of them, and where one moved, the other responded in kind; body language unceasingly smooth and real – as though both could see his partner clear as day – and Komui just chuckled into his hand, sighing that these two were just too in tune to each other.

**Hate:** Allen was silent as he listened to Lavi mutter in a voice he barely recognized, silent as the Bookman-in-training vented in a drugged stupor of thought of how foolish and weak-willed and barbaric humans could be, silent when the redhead choked and coughed and gripped the linen hospital sheets with angry fingers, silent until Lavi finally lay back and struggled to breathe, gaze clearing slowly as he finally started to return to himself again with the pain as his waking call... and Allen finally inched forward, leaned into the shape of Lavi's side, studying one bloodshot eye with both his own and caught the redhead's attention long enough to whisper a simple thought in return, a thought that rendered every lingering word on Lavi's tongue dead in the graveyard of Allen's long silence: "To be brutally honest, I hate this world too... I hate who we've been and what we are; every evil thing we have the potential to be... but I'm still going to try and save it... just as I will always try to save you."

**Distant:** It was an odd sky, sun beating down through the clouds on the cobblestone and soft rain washing his face, lost in the distance of a thousand worlds away in a space that knew no time, and there he remained, lost and empty, until a warm hand slipped into the gaps between his limp fingers and he started a little in surprise, glancing over his shoulder and was met with the side of a face swept with deep red hair and widened with an understanding smile to whisper, "... I know, huh...?" and Allen stilled, his hand curling around Lavi's more firmly as he kicked his head back to the sky... and laughed.

**March:** It should have been inconceivable to see what he was seeing now, inconceivable that the heartless would find reasons to stand, to pick up a banner and march toward certain doom, duty and purpose being overrun by an infantile but growing faith and hope, emotions finding embers to breathe where they should have never found life at all; but there was nothing he could do against something so dangerous and powerful and unpredictable as the human will... and Bookman would only shake his head when Lavi would shrug off his guidance with excuses and banter that for all appearances said he was listening and he was just as he used to be, just as he always had been, a shell with a center no one could touch or mold, shake his head every time his apprentice stood and stretched or left the room or stared off into the empty space of the world because he knew and they knew and everyone knew that Lavi was not _there _anymore, he was with the one who had remolded his center, revived and changed his heart; Lavi was seeking Allen every time.

**Stupid:** It was the cruddy day to trump all cruddy days and Allen let his head slam against the table for what felt like the umpteenth time, ready to fake a seizure or hunt down the nearest drug dealer, anything to exit stage left from his life for a while... until he heard the growing rumble of snickering in the chaotic haze of student voices around him... and with the speed of a snail on steroids, he lifted his head from his arms to find the source of the growing humor – to his surprise (not really) on the other side of the lunch table stood Lavi, who had somehow managed to get for himself a can of whipped topping, and the instant the two best friends made eye contact Lavi shook the can with an extra burst of gusto, tilting his head suggestively with the dumbest grin Allen had ever seen in their ten years together, and with a loud _hiiisssssss_ from the can the redhead topped himself with a dollop of whipped cream – and Allen almost, _almost_, didn't pass out from laughing so damn hard.

**Stupid (Revised):** It was the cruddy day to trump all cruddy days and Allen let his head slam against the barn door for what felt like the umpteenth time, ready to fake a seizure or hunt down the nearest drug dealer, anything to exit stage left from his life for a while... until he heard the soft rise of snickering in the quiet haze of the horses around him... and with the speed of a snail on steroids, he left his head twist to the right to find out what could be so freaking hilarious and caught sight of a few stragglers from the Saturday riding class looking in his direction with odd smiles on their faces, laughing into their hands, but what really caught his attention was Lavi – who was walking toward him, shaking up a can of whipped cream in one hand and flicking a riding crop in the other with a grin to rival the devil's trickery, and with a one-eyed wink and that sexy smile created solely to make girls swoon, the redhead tossed his best friend the crop and said so softly none but Allen could hear: "Love, I know it's been a rough day – so meet me in my room in five... and bring that with you," grinning quite madly as he indicated the braided leather in Allen's hands and spun on his heel to run in the other direction, making the observing group hoot and cheer quite loudly; which ended being quite a good distraction, because Allen could no longer breathe – he was laughing too damn hard.  
><em>*inspired by the gag reel of Season 6 for Supernatural<em>

**Dress-Up:** Allen wasn't even sure where Lavi had found the trunk of clothes in a hospital of all places, but he couldn't complain too loudly when his bed-ridden friend had finally found enough strength to move around and laugh again, though it didn't stop Allen from rolling his eyes at the game Lavi had pulled him into – a long sock tied around the redhead's eyes to obscure all vision as he pulled the many articles of clothing from the suitcase and blindly felt the fabrics to figure out what they were before dressing Allen in them, until the both of them looked ridiculous and laughter flowed nonstop between them: "What on earth are we doing?" he gasped at some point, shrieking as Lavi tried to force a skirt on him, and his best friend grinned widely, giggling, "We're getting in touch with our feminine sides!" to which Allen could only snigger, poking the other's forehead; "Like you need a feminine side... you're girly enough as it is."

**Mourn:** It was late when they finally got home, and Allen found himself so drained beyond fathom that all he wanted to do was collapse and not get back up again; but Lavi pushed him in the direction of the bathroom and ordered him to shower and dress for bed, which Allen did slow and grudgingly… but when he came out again, hair damp and arms full of the suit he had worn to the funeral, he dumped the clothing in the room he and Lavi shared and quickly left again – and Lavi sighed, shutting his book and rising to his feet, knowing exactly where the younger would be… he found Allen in Mana's room, already tucked under the heavy covers and almost hidden from view, and the redhead couldn't help but shake his head fondly before climbing onto the mattress and nudging Allen over just enough to lay down next to him… for a while, they didn't speak, Allen on his back and his knees over Lavi's legs with Lavi on his side and his head on Allen's shoulder, Lavi listened to Allen's breathing that seemed both steady and strained, until suddenly, he sparked an idea breathing in Mana's scent still heavy on the sheets, and weakly opening his mouth a time or two, he started to sing a familiar song; and Allen, who had nearly lulled himself to sleep stiffened painfully at the words, words Mana had always sung himself, shaking his head and the tears glistened in the sharp starlight as he whispered _too soon, Lavi it's too soon, please…_ but Lavi wouldn't have it; he held his brother close and kissed his temple with nothing but love, tasting salt water and explained in a weary, broken-hearted voice: "-big brothers can always do what their daddies used to, when they can't anymore… and he told me I should… especially right now when you need him so much…" so Allen just lay there in Lavi's arms, the fight gone from him, softly letting himself cry as he listened to the words of Mana's favorite song, the song he didn't think he would have ever been able to hear again, in Lavi's tender voice long, long into the night.

**Dadu:** The little toddler waved his hands, dimpled cheeks stretching wide as the boy laughed up at Allen, red hair sticking up wildly, grey eyes dancing while he pleaded, "Dadu?" with the most devastating puppy-dog look the Exorcist had ever come across, and, unable to resist, kneeled down to hug the child and squished him firmly, chuckling softly while the two-year old squirmed in glee, a small miracle of sunlight in the small town they'd ventured into in search of Lavi, and when he picked up the squealing boy, accepting a raspberry to his cheek, Lenalee smiled sadly at the sight, eyeing them with tender amusement; "He looks like Lavi," she whispered to Kanda, who stared at the child with something akin to fondness in his gaze, "Save for his eyes... he has Allen's eyes..." to which the swordsman gave her a pointed look before glancing back at Allen, contemplative and silent a moment before murmuring almost softly, "He looks like both of them."  
><em>*Dadu: asking for a hug.<br>_**Babu:** Lavi wasn't sure where he was or how he was still alive, and when the village came into view he was more than eager to force his broken body towards the nearest doorway that had a red cross painted over the door, but his final reserves of strength gave way on the first step of the building and he collapsed solidly, chest heaving with the effort of breath, muscles screaming in agony as he slumped against the steps, the rising sun doing nothing to ease the coldness slowly seeping into his skin, his bones, his mind... the only people about were a group of children making their way to the churchyard from where he'd fallen, but he was unable to summon a voice loud enough to call them and chuckled at such bad luck, closing his eyes to wait for darkness to come; a toddler came instead, approaching him fearlessly, red hair sticking up in all directions, giggling mouth wide... but his eyes were what drew Lavi the most, grey just like Allen's, and he smiled shakily at the boy who grinned and asked, "Babu?" before leaning in to plant a kiss on his nose.  
><em>*Babu: asking for a kiss.<em>

**Foretell:** By fifteen he had long since learned when not to tell Bookman about certain things, but for so many nights he dreamt of a life he did not know; by everything he had ever known this world was strange, dangerous in the way it beaconed, threatening in the way it called to him, murmuring his name with a tenderness foreign, and so he ran, seeking a way to escape, to leave this place and return to the world he understood, the world that was barren and predictable and full of malice, but before he could, a boy would block his path; a boy whose name and features drifted in and out of obscurity, never enough to be certain of any single detail, no detail save a few traits; the boy's warmth, his laugh, and the way he would never let him pass on to whatever oblivion lay beyond... and so they would stay there, locked in a battle that drew not one drop of blood, and over time, something about this boy started to reach out to him; and when time drew to a close, when the boy would look at him with a smile glistening and so completely adoring, he didn't know why but he couldn't back away – he didn't even flinch when a strong hand touched his shoulder in an affirming way before drifting up to cup his face quietly, that grey expression bright with humor and joy coming in and out of focus and he couldn't help but let his heart whisper; _God, how do I know you, why are you looking at me like you know me, why do I actually believe you might, why do I feel like I've been looking for you, why do I feel like I belong to you... please tell me... who are you? _but every time, before he could garner the truth, he blinked awake to the barely familiar surroundings of the rundown inn he had fallen asleep in hours ago, Bookman still snoring rhythmically from five feet away; and he had to roll over into his pillow to keep from choking out loud on the torturous thoughts that did and did not belong to him, choking on the unfamiliar emotions trying to claw their way up his throat, choking on the chill that nipped his exposed skin and choked on the tears of what he knew, what he could not deny; that the boy and his warmth were gone, gone from his sight and he didn't understand, feared, raged, denied the sense that he was missing something, something vital from deep inside his soul every time he woke from that dream, wanting to scream out _just leave me alone, leave me alone! _but the words would never come... and he feared, deep in his mind, that he was a traitor to Bookman and himself.

**Almost: **They didn't talk that first night, absorbed in either the shock or the numb; Lavi slept most of the time and Allen didn't leave his side once, paying no mind to how often he was encouraged and even urged by the nurses to take a break, he couldn't be dissuaded... and early one morning, when the clouds shielded the sun and painted the sky with grey, Allen began to talk very softly, very gently about something he had never mentioned before, even as Lavi groggily started to wake... "-had a dark feeling about it, you know... so I hurried through my chores and I drove to his apartment... his roommate let me inside, said he had locked the door... I had to kick it open, and I found him, bleeding, all over the tiles... –he died in my arms," and Allen swallowed hard, aching somewhere deep as he took in Lavi's haggard face in the hospital bed, his bruised eye and hollow cheekbones and wrists wrapped up in white gauze with a soft gaze, and tenderly stroked his red hair back, "... I just wanted to te-" but cut off as one bandaged hand rose up to meet his face, settling against his face with a softness the boy had rarely known, and Lavi, eye brimming with tears he never usually let anyone see whispered brokenly, "... I'm so sorry..."

**Theatre:** There were times Allen cursed his choice of joining an all-male acting troupe, one such time being their newest project in which his slight build and fair looks had landed him the lead female role with his best friend playing opposite as the romantic lead, and the stage direction [They Kiss] was starting to haunt him – not that he didn't trust Lavi, because that was far from the truth, but the thought of the redhead stealing his first kiss from him was daunting to say the least, an apprehension that only grew during rehearsal when the scene was finally set; it took everything in Allen to stay in character, to close his eyes and act like the ceiling wasn't about to collapse on his head, but nothing could stop his shock when Lavi tilted his chin up just so and kissed the corner of his lips, unmoving until the lights dimmed for the scene change and Allen was able to pull back and blink dumbly up at Lavi with a red face when he winked with a, "What... you want a real one?" to which Allen promptly shoved the other's hat into his laughing mouth.

**Ship: **They were picking up speed and Allen had to lean over the railing a little, watching the bow of the ship steadily cut through the water like a knife through soft butter, exhilarated by the feeling as he spread his arms wide and accepted the salt water taste on his lips with a smile; until he heard a whoop of excitement and was slammed into from behind – booted feet taking a few steps up on the railing around and on either side of him and a friendly arm death-gripped his chest, several more cheers resounding through them and around them, infecting each other with such joy – and the younger just had to start laughing, he hadn't seen Lavi laugh so hard in such a long time; this trip was his victory and the redhead apparently wanted the world to know it; the poor boy's heart leaping as he hollered into the wind, _"I'm king of the world!"_ and Allen believed every word.

**Bruderlein:** When Allen finally came home from his date with Lenalee, face flushed and an elated skip to his step, Mana could only match his son's smile before heading back to the kitchen to fix up a cup of hot cocoa, knowing it would be the perfect leverage to weasel information out of Allen, because, like any good father, he wanted details, especially under such important circumstances like a first kiss; however, his other foster son found Allen first and with the sensitivity of any big brother – "My little baby bro has finally become a man!" he crooned, squishing Allen against the cushions – Lavi started poking and laughing at the other's reddening cheeks, gasping and teasing and lost in the apparent hilarity of it all, before, with a choked sound, was promptly shoved from the couch.

**Sword:** Some would consider it strange, a greatsword that had such a personality as Allen's magnificent Lavi, the blade which sang with sharp wit and infectious laughter and took human form when not called upon for protection and battle; Allen was grateful for such a magical sword, no matter how strange it seemed, for, not only did his weapon give him added strength in his eternal quest for peace within the chaos, but he also gained a precious friend and mentor, and in moments of self-doubt and overwhelming strife, he had two arms and a warm smile to fall into and a tender voice to soothe his fears away in the darkest of hours and lull him to sleep each night with a kiss to his face and a heartfelt, "I love you, my brother."

**Clown:** Allen took the offered top hat from the other clown, gesturing wildly and pointing to it as the audience cheered encouragement and he waved his fingers over the opening, his painted face pulling into a determined pout as his character, Pierrot, tried desperately to pull forth a rabbit or a bouquet of flowers from the hat like the others had done; Peirrot, however, never had any luck, and Allen fought as smile when he felt the warm fur hidden within, and with a pretend look of despair, he lifted Lavi by the scruff of the neck, the calico cat hanging innocently in the air while the crowd howled in laughter at Pierrot's misfortune and as, right on cue, Lavi batted at Allen's face and leaned forward towards the black button on the clown's chest pocket, where a tiny microphone was hidden, to let out a loud meow.

**Cat:** Allen smiled to himself as he gently rubbed between the calico's ears, right where he knew Lavi liked it most, and laughed softly as the cat burrowed closer, slightly amazed Lavi was showing such an earnest need for affection; he knew that somewhere, deep down, a wounded warrior lay curled up in pain, lost in a love and a friendship that had cost him a normal human life, a life without his most beloved friend; to see Lavi, who had lost so much, hurt so deeply, snuggle up against his chest, a loud purring enveloping the whole tent, Allen couldn't help but feel so lucky and blessed for such an opportunity to help such a love-sick soul, and pressed a kiss to his forehead, grinning as Lavi's front paws pressed to his heart, and when he whispered into his fur, it felt as though he spoke for both of them: "Thank you for choosing me... I never realized just how lonely I was."

**Hum:** He woke to humming... humming brought him back to the waking world; a lilting, steady little whisper that thrummed like a heartbeat to his ears, mixed with the heartbeat he lay so close to that it pulsed into him, it was his; the forlorn, wise notes that became his call, his guide back from oblivion and into the safety of another's side... and he blinked, aching, latching onto the softness of that voice like his lifeline, like his reason to breathe, and struggled to raise arms weighed down with the devastation of his ravenged strength to wrap around and gather close his hope, press a clumsy kiss to his heart's cheek, and then lay down again, crying quietly into white angel hair, waiting for oblivion, waiting for death... but neither would come... no, how could they, when Allen, who lay enveloped tight against his chest, hummed the song that would save his life?

**Mirror:** Neah smirked at the gypsy when he sat down, all languid confidence and self-assurance as he grinned at Allen, the card in question, who had been summoned from his magic home for this moment alone, either to be bartered off to some other magician, or Lavi's newest prize; the hopeful smile on Allen's face showed Neah the Mirror card wished to be Lavi's, and the crafty redhead seemed just as eager to have him – but Neah was nothing if not a shrewd sorcerer, and having created Allen in his own image, he could almost say he was fond of the talented card, so if this gypsy wanted him he'd have to work for it; "What are you willing to pay?" Neah asked Lavi, grinning wickedly over the steeple of his fingers, dark eyes flashing as Lavi leaned back in his chair, sparing him a glance for the first time: "I'll pay anything."

O-o-o-o-O

_Hope you enjoyed reading ^^ that's all for now. I'll try to get one more chapter of these put together before I close this story for good. As much fun and beneficial it's been for us, we rarely write prompts anymore (if that wasn't already obvious). But you'll see at least one more chapter, I'm sure, though I won't say when. :) Until next time, take care! _


	22. Full Of Knowing Secrets

_Hello my darlings! I'm back with more, finally got off my lazy (and ill) rear and typed up about seven pages worth of prompts, which placed us at plenty for another chapter. Whoo! :D_

_Lap__, __Exchange__, __Scandalous__, __More__, __Rubik__, __Rewrite__, __Voices__, __Target__, and __Revolution__ are the AU prompt babies. __Fragment__ & __Remain__ is the only mini-arc, and to anyone who speaks French, I apologize if I butchered the language. All other prompts are standalone and can feasibly fit into the DGM world. ^^_

_I hope you enjoy reading very much! _

O~o~o~o~O

**Lap (con't of Adoption):** Allen had once heard that _little dogs have big dog complexes and big dogs have little dog complexes _but had never entirely believed it until now – when his 65-pound red pointer mix came slinking closer and closer to him on the couch and for a minute Allen just watched Lavi plead with that big eye of his, beg for invitation to invade his personal space until he finally acquiesced with a smile and a "C'mon Lavi, c'mere!" and Lavi more or less bounded into the empty space of his side – sprawled out next to him and fell sideways into his lap, and Allen would have sworn Lavi was grinning as he scratched and pet and mussed every inch of him, laughing softly as he asked Lavi, "What, you think you're a Pomeranian do you?" and Lavi woofed in amusement, and every time Allen stopped he would pick his head up from his 'daddy's' knee and look at him, lips falling back to reveal a wide, toothy dog smile that had Allen laughing and hugging him tighter... and as they lay there on the couch like lifelong companions instead of only the few months they had been together, Allen buried his face into Lavi's neck and sighed; he had never known just how lonely he had been before Lavi until he wasn't lonely anymore with him there.

**Exchange:** Allen gripped the tomato tight in both his little hands, frowning in concentration, the faint glow of dawn yet coming and the full moon above giving him the only light as he headed towards the cave; the Spirit that resided there, he'd been told, was always willing to make a deal, and so Allen brought his most perfect tomato from his garden, a sure winner of the festival that could yield enough grain for the entire village, to bargain for his adoptive father's life; when the Spirit appeared at the head of the cave as Allen finally reached it, he was nothing like Allen had thought, with a wide smile and laughter in the green of his uncovered eye, red hair seeming to shine in the meager light, and he crouched before the seven year old boy, speaking softly, and after listening to Allen's plight, accepted the exchange of his tomato for Mana's health and recovery, and promised him hope would come as long as he returned home before the dawn; Allen promised to do so and waved goodbye to the Spirit, who waved back, smile full of knowing secrets.

**Fragment:** He may not have been part of the outside world long, but Krory didn't know if he would ever see a stranger sight as he glanced down the hallway, newly returned from a mission so early the sun had yet to paint the sky, looking in the direction of a very unusual conversation in a language he did not know, and out of the shadows Lavi emerged slowly, waddling of all things from foot to foot with the arms of another Exorcist wrapped around his ribs, speaking in rapid, fluid French; Lavi gave Krory a friendly nod as he went by and the older Exorcist caught a glance of the person Lavi was leading – it was Allen, his face buried between the redhead's shoulders and something like laughter bubbling through but muffled by the jacket in his way, and Krory looked at the duo strangely, but pleasantly, thinking it was yet another game of some kind and waved at Lavi in return before retiring to his room... he could not see through the game of pretend well acted, had no idea, not a clue, that the soft French Lavi one-sidedly murmured was no jest, but a plea: "Facile Allen, nous sommes presque sure, juste y accrocher avec moi; _easy Allen, we're almost safe, just hang in there with me...",_ the back of his jacket long since soaked with tears; the laughter Krory thought he heard really weeping as Allen clung to his best friend with all his strength, matching the steady waddle with his own, deathly afraid to look up and see a reflection of himself and his nightmare, even in the quiet peace of Lavi's green eye found him staring into the shadowed darkness of an untouchable foe and he was so afraid, so afraid to see it again; pleading in return to Lavi a barely audible, fragmented whisper between his struggle not to scream of: "-Please don't leave me, please don't leave me, please don't leave me-" and the hands overlapping his tightened with resolve to wait out the night.  
><strong>Remain (con't of Fragment):<strong> In the quiet haven of Allen's room, far away from watchful eyes, where Lavi quietly sat on the edge of the bed and Allen collapsed in exhaustion at his feet, his face in his hands and his hands in Lavi's lap, murmuring numbly, in a fair amount of panic and great fear: "What if it's all a lie, what if I'm not the person everyone expects me to be... I'm so close, I can feel how close I am to losing, to forgetting everything and letting it all fall apart like I don't even care, and you, I could forget all about you, Lavi... Lavi, Lavi, _Lavi-" _before dissolving, murmuring Lavi's name into the other's knees in a mantra as if to help burn it into his mind, to never lose it, scared to death he would anyway... and Lavi was silent for a moment, considering the question with impassive thoughtfulness as he quietly stroked Allen's hair, until he whispered: "Then, I will have been bested by my equal..." and Allen froze; looked up at the redhead with wide, bloodshot eyes full of denial, but wavered under the calm in Lavi's gaze and all the implications of what he said... and then sunk, defeated, back into Lavi's lap, an equal to the supposedly untouchable, unreachable, unmoldable Bookman's apprentice; clinging to the hands already in his hair as he buried his face into his brother's legs, felt Lavi lean over him and kiss the top of his head, and choked out: "Then let me say this once more, while my heart is still mine... _I love you."_

**Scandalous:** It was well after midnight when Allen walked through the front door, and as the creature of routine Lavi knew he was he never wandered in past 9:45 on a weeknight, nor did he ever stride right past Lavi with steam pouring out his ears into his bedroom – Lavi gave him a few minutes to unload and change before daring to barge in, finding Allen already dressed in loose pajama pants and on his side in bed, everything else scattered all over the floor normally spotless unless he was pissed; with a sigh and without a comment, Lavi jerked his sleeveless night shirt over his head as he normally did most summer nights, adding it into the fray and lay down next to his other, placating him kindly as Allen thumped his forehead against his shoulder in bitter frustration over his day; grumbling about the three hour meeting and the emergency call he wasn't actually needed for and the boss he wanted on no uncertain terms to fillet like a fish and fry up for a stray wolf... and while recalling bits of his terrible day, he remembered that Kanda was coming early the next morning to load up for their annual summer camping trip and _rrrrrgghhhhed _about seeing his sworn enemy for the next _week_... and all the while, Lavi just stared at the top of his head with an eternally fond smile, waiting patiently for the instant Allen would stop talking long enough for him to make a comment, and when it happened, the redhead changed the subject completely: "... You do realize that if we don't wake up before the ungodly crack of dawn when Yuu is bound to arrive, this is going to look quite scandalous, right?" and all the griping and frustration melted away as Allen slowly realized what he meant and just started to giggle; looking over his shoulder to their clothing strewn on the floor and back to Lavi dressed only in shorts, and had to wiggle closer; wrapping arms around the redhead with a grin and a sigh full of sudden gratitude: "Oh, whatever; can't deny that any night I spend with you is always better."

**More:** Sometimes, Allen really hated his squad leader; Kanda was several words of highly implicit vocabulary he took to the habit of muttering under his breath whenever the older man did what he seemed to be best at, which just so happened to be making his life a living hell here in the dust and sand thousands of miles from home – but right now, he couldn't find it in him as he sat on the examining table where Lavi, one of the platoon medics and his best friend out here, removed the bullet from his shoulder and listened to Allen's soft explanation; that Kanda had seemingly done the uncharacteristically impossible shoving him out of the way of enemy fire, leaving Allen barely grazed but the Japanese soldier badly wounded... Allen let his head sink, barely wincing as Lavi listened without comment while doctoring his shoulder with patient hands and watched Allen grumble and sigh and occasionally sniff over a storm of twisted emotions and confusion... until at last, Lavi bound him up and helped him back to his feet, and with a firm hand to his uninjured shoulder, green eyes bore into grey with the majesty of humor and understanding in the world of desert rough, a wish on a lonely night of no stars, and simply told him: "C'mon Allen, we've talked about this before; you know why he's so tough on you and you know why he protected you out there... he may be a jerk about it, but I don't think anyone wants you to succeed more than he does..." he smiled softly, "-except maybe me."

**Meaning:** "Do you ever think this will end?" Allen whispered in the darkness of the mountain cave, in the chilling aftermath of an Akuma attack that had taken them miles into the wilderness and within the very last reserves of their strength, they were trapped until daylight returned; it had begun drizzling hours ago, leaving them both wet and shivering, Allen with his arm threaded through Lavi's and huddled against his side in the attempt to keep both himself and his friend warm, ignoring the pain in his side and head as much as he could while Lavi chuckled a bit breathlessly for the first time since before the battle and mussed damp white hair fondly, and with a tight squeeze to the hand that held his own tight, he responded oh so matter-of-fact: "Probably not... but why should that hold us back?"

**Drug: **There were times when Allen could almost say he hated Lavi, hated the way he sometimes smiled, face contorted in the sickest pleasure, the emerald of his eye hollow and faraway while standing on a battlefield of carnage or standing in a smoking village, emotionless while buildings burned; it was the Bookman inside him, his greatest defense that made Lavi a horrifying sight, laughing under a shower of blood, but it was his voice that chilled him, a voice so depraved of warmth and so, so heavy even Kanda flinched once his question was uttered and Lavi turned to regard them both closely; "Some say war is a drug," was his answer to whatever Kanda had asked and Allen felt something twist inside at the way Lavi looked at him and didn't see him at all, "-others say war is power, but the truth of the matter is, war is just inevitable, unstoppable... war simply is."

**Eden: **This place must have been magnificent in its prime... if imagination could bring all the blackened trees, withered bushes, faded flowers, and ashen ground back to life, this forgotten garden tucked away in the corner of the Order's property could have been Eden of old – and he couldn't help but find himself contemplative as he walked the old paths and let his fingers glance through the dry branches overhead, imagining this place, with all its grey silence, as it once was – until another caught up with him, face alight with ideas and hope and "Lavi, look at this place; there's so much we can do with it!" that he couldn't help but laugh, thrilled to see Allen so happy as the younger bubbled over with ideas, dreaming as always of moving forward to a new future.

**Rubik: **Allen could feel his eye twitching as he watched Lavi smoothly finish off the rubik cube that had taken him months – _months! _– to puzzle out two of the sides, mouth open in disbelief and more than a little irritated; leave it to his genius best friend to show off in the most infuriating way possible, and there was no shortage of murderous vibes emanating from him by the time Lavi handed him back the completed cube in the mere minutes – _minutes! _– it had taken him, grinning like the charming asshole he was while he missed Allen's hair, chuckling like he hadn't just ended what had been one of his mind's most complex puzzles in like, ever, and only laughed when Allen muttered, darkly, "You know, I really hate your brain."

**Today: **Two years was a long time to be away, but he could still remember perfectly the way to the grand entrance, as though he had done so as recently as yesterday – but no one need be dispatched against him in his memory of yesterday, to keep him out of the world to which he no longer belonged to today, much less his best friend... but no, even that was different... for his best friend did not look at him now with eyes of warmth and joy as he once did, but betrayal and deepest agony – their parting had been so terrible, the pain of it rising back up in his soul when he looked into those eyes and remembered that yesterday no longer existed, but fall still he did to his knees on the dirt path, at the feet of the boy with the silver eyes and turned his face away, and with tears slipping cold down his cheek his whispered: "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I left you alone..." and his breath caught when Allen said not a word, but let his greatsword bite deep into the ground, and knelt, quietly, to look him in the eye...

**Downfall:** There had been a time when all he knew were the impersonal ways others would react to his spontaneity and pouncing hugs, and knowing nothing else, he preferred it that way; it dropped their guard around him and allowed uncountable opportunities of subtle and valuable information gathering, let them believe he was sentimental, a fool, ridiculous for such behavior and frequently spilled their guts without much care, and he loved it... but his downfall, the first nick in his armor came when he grew unexpectedly close to another, when Allen stopped seriously begrudging his spontaneity and quit pulling out of his hugs, but slowly began to encourage his odd behavior and return his annoying embraces; it was all so strange and new, this friendship of surprisingly few expectations, and Lavi, who had never before known what a real hug was like, began to lose pieces of himself in the want for them over time; would for a moment forget his mask and his old goals and let something else rise to the surface, his head saying no but his heart crying yes when it was Allen enfolded tightly in his arms, warm against his chest, sweet laughter mixing pleasantly in his ears and though he was gleaning nothing of use for the Bookman records, he knew... he knew he would never be the same without this again.

**Bring: **It was moments like this he couldn't help but count his lucky stars for such a chance, such a privilege and honor to be the one summoned to Allen's side in the hopes he could bring back some cheer, some brighter atmosphere to his young friend curled miserably on the couch, wrapped tightly under a stack of blankets, with nothing but a feeble smile to give as Lavi sat down; but rather than discouraging, the sight only made Lavi's heart swell with fond emotion and care, feeling like the luckiest guy on earth for being the one Allen needed in this very moment, and pulled the book forth, grinning softly even though he felt all sorts of foolish, wondering how such a childish action could make Allen glow so once his plan was clear: "Shall I read to you?"

**Waiting:** It was almost too late to be asleep, but he limped into his room regardless; bone-dead tired from his three week mission that had earned him another eventual scar on his leg, smarting even as he shed his coat and kicked out of his boots, but realized with a start, nearly too late, that his bed was already occupied with someone who had apparently been waiting for him a long time – white hair splayed over his pillow while its owner curled into a familiar sleeping position that made him laugh fondly, and with a soft wince he bent over to unbutton his friend's coat for him; Allen woke almost immediately to his gentle ministrations and caught his hand in surprise, and Lavi held it a moment to calm him before continuing – easing Allen out of his coat and tossing it aside, pulling out his quilts and urging both himself and Allen underneath them, too tired to fight having a bedmate; because after seeing so much death, it healed him more than medicine ever could to have the familiar press of his warm friend against his chest, who held him close with wordless understanding and whispered something that eased the pain in his leg; Lavi kissed his cheek, grateful and calm when Allen snuggled into him with a peaceful sigh, and fell asleep within moments of the hours he had thought it was going to take.

**Wall: **A loud _thwack _made Allen jump and turn to find a stumbling, giggling mess in his doorway, echoed with loud 'oowwww's that made the younger smile in amusement; rising from his seat, he was instantly at Lavi's side – the redhead was temporarily blinded from smacking into the wall and held his only good eye in one hand, a wise-guy grin full of impetuous mirth nursing his bruised pride and, even as Allen asked him knowingly _"Are you drunk?" _, removed all doubt as he amusedly muttered to the barrier with a mildly slurred, heavy voice: "Hello wall... thank you for catching me when I fell... but the black eye was not appreciated."

**Rewrite:** "I hate this book..." Allen whispered, slapping the paperback shut and throwing it aside, making Lavi look up at him in confusion; Allen had been reading said book for the last three days for his psychology class and would have to write a paper on it now that he was finished, but one look into the storm in Allen's eyes told the redhead he wanted to do anything but; so, setting his laptop aside, Lavi invited Allen over to sit with him and let his best friend – the most empathetic reader Lavi knew – vent about the story, the story of a child sold into slavery and used against his will in the worst possible ways, until, after over a decade of abuse and just when he might have found a way to escape that life, he was killed... he died, all alone, left without a soul to mourn him... Allen's composure was slowly lost the longer he thought about it, anger and frustration and terrible sadness fueling slow tears he tried to hide behind his hands, such that Lavi wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him close; chin resting on his head and eyes closed as he listened, wordlessly supportive and comforting, until all was said... and as the silence stretched, with a sniffle and a sigh Allen finally let go and snuggled deeper into Lavi's side, in the embrace familiar and newly respected, and added gently: "-it just makes me want to rewrite the ending; an ending where he had a friend, like you... come save his life."

**Voices:** Lavi stared at his newest suspect (who had to be at least two parts terrified, eight parts insane as he met the threatening glare in Lavi's lone eye), his long years of interrogations making it possible to keep up a cool façade even as his earpiece crackled madly with his partner's voice; a wide smirk hid the bemusement he felt as Allen rattled off the questions that could be used to the best advantage, like Lavi hadn't done this a hundred thousand times before; his mask only threatened to fall apart when Allen told him to ask if the man heard voices in his head, and at the bland response of, "Do you?" Lavi cast a pointed look at the two way glass where he knew Allen was and said plainly in matching seriousness, "Oh yeah... I got a know-it-all in my ear."  
>*Rizzoli &amp; Isles inspired<p>

**Target:** It was over and they all knew it; one look at Allen's back in the morning sun revealed no knife wound as previously thought, but a thick injection site; he had been tagged so deep they couldn't cut out the tracer and everyone with him was now in mortal danger, but one look at his comrade's stricken faces settled Allen's features with emotionless resolve; he asked for supplies and simply asked Kanda to take the others far away, but Lavi... Lavi was so upset he was beside himself; reduced to whispering fiercely _no, no, no _and shaking his head to all reality and reason, adamant and relentless even as Allen softly tried to persuade him otherwise; the others kept saying they needed to move but Lavi refused to return to the car, instead stepping forward and enveloping his best friend, his heart, into his arms with a voiceless cry... he couldn't do it, he couldn't leave Allen behind to be killed like an animal, everything in him screaming not to take a step away even as Allen held him close in return and pled with him to go... but Lavi wouldn't... no matter how Allen begged him to fulfill this one last wish, with tears falling down his face Lavi refused; Kanda studied them carefully, having known them both so long, and ushered the others back into the car firmly; he dropped two packs and got back in the driver's seat with only one look back... a glance that would be burned into his mind for as long as he was himself; of Allen in Lavi's arms, no longer resolute as before with his face pale and eyes red, but even as hope slipped through their fingers he now held Lavi tight while they watched the car drive away, pulled in against the redhead's chest and whispered painful words; knowing that even though he would be found by their enemy before the sun rose again he would not face them alone, and knowing that Lavi would prefer dying with him over living without him made him weep for both fear and deepest, hardest love.  
>*inspired by Red Dawn, 2012 version<p>

**Revolution:** Lavi stared warily at the soldier in red, who looked back at him with equal distrust and eyed his blue uniform with utter disdain only battle-worn hatred and stereotyping could produce; the British man was young, hardly a year into acceptable age, but he didn't waver once as he leveled his pistol at Lavi's chest in answer to his own musket with his enemy's heart before the barrel; neither spoke or moved, both crumpled on the ground of the decaying old house they'd ducked into for shelter, and as the silence stretched on, Lavi couldn't help but wonder just why he hadn't been shot yet, and why such gray eyes on the face of a fox would lax his hold on his gun... hurling a tired insult, he smirked as a sharp accented reply cut it down quickly, and thus the quiet was shattered with an exchange of vulgar name-calling that gradually shifted into mocking jokes and flippant flattery, until finally it tapered off with brief, shared laughter and lowered guns... and a firm handshake as Lavi gave his name and received one – _Allen _– in return.

**One:** It was one of their better nights together, a night when they were both amazingly doing okay, one sleepover where all Lavi had to do from where he lay in bed was lift up an arm and Allen was there, filling in the space against his chest with a whispering laugh and offered knowing words that made Lavi smile so big; Allen worked his fingers into the redhead's thick hair and, as promised, started to massage his scalp; Lavi hummed and wiggled and sighed so happy as he leaned into the touch, any thought of sleep gone – all night they talked and laughed and played in bed, got into random arguments and called each other names and had tickling wars where whoever screamed first lost, and they were just happy; happy to be with the safe warmth of a friend and not feel the ill effects of both their lives so strong, and the night passed so simple and wonderful that it was not until the pre-dawn light shown that they started to settle down again with equal sighs; Allen gave Lavi a kiss on the forehead and started to drift with a smile, and Lavi studied him lovingly in return before gathering him closer, breathing in his quiet smell, relished in all the fond new memories and how light in heart he felt, and returned the kiss in kind as he closed his eye to whisper: "You make one hundred nights of complete hell disappear in just one... I love you."

O~o~o~o~O

_And that's all for now. I know I said last chapter that this would probably be the last, but that's not really the case anymore. I will continue to update this story as Krisy and I write more, but I won't make any promises as to when or how frequently. Thank you so much to all those who still are reading this! I hope you'll continue to enjoy it as more come out. As always, thoughts and suggestions are always very welcome. ^^_

_Until next time, take care! _


	23. Well Done, My Friend

_Oh, would you believe I have another chapter of these, and nearly enough to post yet more? XD Never in a million years did I think this would last this long, and strangely, I don't want it to end either. It's been a good three years since Krisy first suggested we start writing them, and I still get excited when I think of one or when she sends me one. I hope you guys enjoy these just as much, even as sporadic as they are! That's life, I suppose. :) _

_So, let me think – __Wine__, __Down__, __Monochrome__, __Lucid__, __Facepaint__, __Senior__, __Bear__, __Come__, __Swingset__, __Sexy__, __Bunny__, __Drum__, __First__... I think it would be easier to say that the majority of these prompts are AU. XD _

_Melodic__ belongs to a DGM story Krisy wrote in her head years ago (known as "the slave story") and has yet to get down on paper – I'm still hoping that one day she will! _

_Pitch__ & __Albion__ are the mini-arc of this chapter – I wrote one, and Krisy wrote the other. Anyone want to guess who wrote which? :D_

_As always friends, please enjoy! _

_O-o-o-o-O_

**Wine: **"Ooh, breaking out the good stuff..." Lavi chirped eagerly as Allen walked toward him with a grin, two crystal glasses in his hands full of a bubbling, butter yellow liquid goodness he felt he sorely needed; Allen handed him a glass and took a seat by his side on the couch, playing idly with his own as he leaned over to snuggle into Lavi's side... it was a quiet night, there in the corner of the library with the fire burning low and the sky outside a cold, icy blue, but the company was warm and Lavi sighed, a glass of good wine in one hand and wrapped his free arm around Allen, perfectly content until he raised his glass for the first sweet sip; "By the way-" Allen interrupted, still swirling his own drink thoughtfully, "-that isn't yellow tail wine, it's martinelli sparkling cider..." and Lavi died a little inside.

**Down: **Being part of a circus, Kanda was used to seeing odd things on a daily basis, but watching Allen skirt around from tent to tent on his rollerblades making faces and talking gibberish to the one-eyed tom cat he'd adopted into his act was high up on the weird scale, and Kanda found himself rolling his eyes at the mismatched pair more often than not, refusing to call the happy little sounds Allen made to his Lavi 'cute' as Lenalee adamantly tried to make him think they were... and decided he had to up the wit and insults in his arsenal if he wanted to bring Allen down from the clouds ever again.

**Monochrome:** Even years afterwards, Lavi couldn't reason out just why he'd chosen a church for what was supposed to be his final moment; he wasn't religious by any means, and the rainbows of stained glass were just as somber and gray as the rest of his world, and the golden cross was nothing but a lackluster shadow hanging high above him when he'd laid himself out on a pew, pistol in hand... he'd been tired, he still was tired, of drowning in a sea of black and white, ink and paper, despite it being all he'd known since his eyes first opened, and had amused himself by offering up an empty argument to a God he couldn't believe in with the barrel of his gun pressed under his chin; but then Allen had walked in, broom in hand, and had seen his gun and saw his intent but only offered up a sigh of, "If you're going to shoot yourself, please go elsewhere... I just cleaned the floor..." and Lavi could only laugh in utter, joyous disbelief as he watched him walk away, a priest awash in monochrome who suddenly, amazingly, brought a whole new color to his world.

**Lucid:** It was terrifying to watch, the way Lavi's body arched in his arms at angles far too impossible for a mortal being, bones cracking and skin pulled tight, the tendons of his neck thick coils of unsuppressed pain and tension as his mouth opened to release a soul tearing scream that made no sound, and as Allen held him tighter, his Innocence rising to counteract whatever miasma the Noah had used to destroy Lavi's mind and take him over, he read his dearest friend's lips as they moved, the frantic but silent words nothing but mindless babble and curses only a Noah would know... but when his skin began to darken and the light in his eye burned from emerald to hated gold, Lavi suddenly went still against him, his gaze focusing just long enough to rasp the only lucid thought he had left: "Allen."

**Pitch:** It was so dark here, so dark; the blackness so thick it was like wading through pitch, it washed out his vision into nothing; he didn't know what this room looked like beyond the touch of his hands on the walls and the corner at his back, and he sat there with his knees against his chest and his arms locked around them, as though it were a physical barrier against the black world and utter silence... God in Heaven, he was so afraid, the sound of his own soft weeping his only comfort, and the only whisper that feel so frequently, filled with such longing, from his lips as he trembled, "Lavi... Lavi... Lavi, please, please, I'm so scared..." for his friend, his dear friend, was the only one who knew of this place; the only one who could find him and bring him home, and Allen wept for such great fear that he would never come, but could not let go of the hope that he would...

**Albion (con't of Pitch):** When _he _finally came, he was swathed in light, bright and brilliant and so blinding Allen's vision cut off as swiftly as the darkness of his prison filled to the brim with white; he couldn't see, but he could feel and he could hear and smell and taste, and these senses, the feel of hair and warm skin, the smell of paper and ink and blood, and the voice, that wonderful, heartbreaking voice let him know he was saved at last, that God hadn't abandoned him yet, that his hopes were answered, and he wept with sobbing laughs, broken and bleeding, into Lavi's neck, tasting the salt of his sweat and his own tears while arms enveloped him, pulled him in tight... "God Allen..." was all Lavi seemed capable of saying; "Please tell me I'm not too late..."

* Albion: the land created by Merlin and King Arthur, a bright future forged from the shadows of the past. From darkness comes light, from despair comes hope, war comes peace, etc... Albion is Welsh, with Latin root Albus, meaning white.

**Facepaint: **Allen set down his brush and made faces at his reflection, testing the thickness of the fresh coat of white paint and making sure it wouldn't crack, and then pulled his lips into Pierrot's signature sad pout; he turned towards Lavi with a "How do I look?" and laughed when the tom cat offered him a long meow in response before fluffing out his clothes and tying his hair back, giving himself one last look over to make sure his clown façade was as it should be; Allen fixed Lavi's ruffled collar around his neck and lifted him into his top hat, smiling fondly at the loud purring he earned for scratching that lovely spot just underneath his friend's chin on the walk towards the big tent to await the curtain call.

**Senior: **"Not that I have anything whatsoever against being half naked on your bed," Lavi snorted at Allen, greatly amused at the frazzled state of the college senior art student as he hastily scribbled out his likeness on his drawing pad, "but I don't see how my modeling for you has anything to do with the history report you're supposed to be writing right now."

**Bear:** He felt ridiculous walking through the halls with the teddy bear in his arm, in full view of any passersby, but tried to walk as nonchalantly as possible regardless; it was a child's plaything in his hands, but would now serve as a median to help his best friend, who lay in a coma – and when he entered Allen's private room, the little brown bear made with soft fur found a place right next to Allen's face... Lavi had been forbidden to do anything other than hold his hand until he woke, and feeling that such would never be enough to bring him back had brought the bear... a perfectly average teddy bear that cuddled easily against Allen's cheek and perched nicely on his shoulder, while Lavi gave him a kiss to the brow and pressed his forehead to the other's gently in greeting, whispering: "Hello Allen... I brought you a friend who can hold you close until you wake, since I can't... he's the softest one I could find, and he doesn't have one of those silly bowties they give bears these days; so I better not hear that you think he looks dumb – I took quite a hit to my ego bringing him here..." – he swallowed hard – "... so wake up soon, okay?"

**Come:** _Dude come over _– Lavi rolled over, still unable to even entertain the thought of sleep and in frustration texted his best friend Allen, who lived only a few minutes down the street; and true to form, Allen responded almost immediately: _I'm on my way _– and Lavi sighed in relief, adding a quick – _I'll leave the lights on _– to the text thread and received an – _Okay be there in a few_; he sighed and tossed his phone aside, staring at the lights on his ceiling and hoping Allen would be fast; but a few minutes later he suddenly heard the wood floor in his kitchen creak loudly and it almost gave him a heart attack; he immediately texted Allen with a – _Dude I think someone is trying to break in _– while listening to the soft sound of feet, imagining perhaps that he and Allen could corner this unknown assailant together if his friend was close enough, but a few moments later, the ominous shuffling stopped; in a panic Lavi started to reach for the bat under his bed, but as he did so his phone lit up again – _Moron it's me remember the person you asked to come over?_

**Swing-set:** The swing-set at the park had never been the source of much fun for Lavi growing up – the line had always been too long behind the other kids and the girls would play the most ridiculous games that he very quickly lost all interest in them; but one late, late night in the middle of his teenage years, he had snuck out of the house and wandered to the park, keeping to the shadows for the most part and taking the familiar paths until he found himself at the edge of the play area with all its old but colorful "toys" bathed in artificial light – the jungle gym and the seesaw and the sandbox and the net, and lo and behold, the swing-set, where he discovered he was not alone here; swinging gently back and forth no more than a few inches was a boy his age, with striking white hair and dressed in a worn jacket, staring down at his feet with soul-filled eyes, and so curious Lavi became watching the other's peculiar expression that he couldn't help it – he left the black cover of the trees and stepped out into the light of a city streetlight, and in a few short strides covered the distance needed to take the swing at the other boy's side; they regarded each other silently for a moment or two, as Lavi found a rhythm in the squeaky metal, and then the redhead broke the silence with a; "You couldn't sleep either?" voice smooth and calm as if this had been a planned meeting, and the boy looked him right in the eye and smiled, his forlorn expression gone, and answered just as gentle: "You know me so well."

**Sexy:** Lavi knew what a buzzkill Allen could be about protocol but that didn't stop him from trying to break it like he had dozens of times before in dire situations like this one; spewing out a whole speech of desperate lines like "can we please just kick the rulebook out the window" and "you need to trust me on this" and "we don't have time to mess around with protocol" before Allen, without changing expression, gave in with a "Fine – you ride shotgun." and Lavi double-fisted in victory, positively giddy as he called after his friend's retreating back around the car: "You are so _sexy _right now!"

**Melodic:** It was overwhelming, the sudden joy that rose the moment his fingers touched the keys, his hesitant touch ringing out notes of tragic sounds that slowly tuned as his master tightened the strings, creating a perfect, melodious pitch that caught Allen completely by surprise; his heart, so beaten down by slavery and brutality, had forgotten what it was like to create something so like magic with his own hands – for that was what it was, magic, the same magic that Lord Lavi had been trying to show him existed in a world so full of pain; this magic that made bubbles in the heat of a bath, to the whipped toppings Jerry made out of cream with skilled tools, to the magic of growth Allen himself had witnessed in the small plot of garden Lavi had given him to plant roses and the family of rabbits that had taken refuge under his forest of tulips – there was magic in this instrument and in this moment Allen was beginning to wonder if it all came from Lavi himself, whose easy smile allowed for an answering tilt of lips he never knew he could make.

**Bunny:** It was foolish hope at best that such a desperate measure would answer his prayers, but Allen _was _desperate, more so than he'd ever been to bring his best friend back from the brink of nothingness the Noah had made of his mind, and so, with purpose, Allen cradled the small quivering animal as he strode back to their room, smiling softly at Lavi when he entered: "Happy Birthday," he whispered, a fond smile on his face even as Lavi slowly, painfully turned to look at him; sometimes, the light played tricks, making Allen believe that a flicker of recognition sometimes glinted against the dull pupil of Lavi's eye, that sometimes his lips lifted in the tiniest increment whenever Allen stayed up to read him stories or tell him about his latest missions, but now, Allen knew, God above, he _knew_, he wasn't imagining it this time as he placed the red, lop-eared bunny into Lavi's lap, helping the Exorcist hold it against his chest, and when tears slipped down Lavi's cheeks, the low breath hitching as their eyes met, Allen knew he wasn't too late.

**Desperate:** "I'm really, really sorry about this Lavi, but you seriously need to hide me!" Allen babbled in a panicked rush, worriedly peeking out of the small window in his fellow Exorcist's door for any sight of the swordsman he'd managed to piss off, and worried if he was overstepping some line by barging into the redhead's room like this; they'd only known each other a couple weeks and though the older boy had easily incorporated Allen into his personal bubble, whether or not he considered Allen a true friend was debatable and too early to tell, but Allen was desperate enough and Kanda was mad enough, and if Lavi decided to just go back to sleep and let him die he'd slip under his bed anyway and let the Japanese man kill them both; Lavi looked close to just ignoring him, disheveled and yawning wide, but Allen knew he was watching him close, weighing the options, before he snuggled back down, lifting up his blanket and offering a warm, inviting hiding place at his side without a word.

**Drum: **It was typical of Lavi to bang on the drums of an invisible set when a song he really got into came on, but the redhead loved it when he caught Allen doing it too – eyes closed and smile wide, tapping unseen drumsticks to the rhythm of a song barely discernable through his ear buds and singing softly with the words, loving the song and loving the feeling so much that he almost, almost didn't care when Lavi started video-recording the whole thing on his phone.

**First: **Over time, after all the conversations and laughter, the fights and fallouts, the understandings and reassurances, the letting go, the holding on, they both found something new in each other, a way of being and behaving that was different from every other mask either had ever worn... and though it became rather typical of Allen to be real, the first to give in to a hug or say something much needed, it was a wonderful day when Lavi would sneak up, scare of manillies out of his best friend, and just when Allen was about to yell profanities he would be silenced with a kiss on the cheek, a hug right off his feet, and a sweet whisper in his ear of: "Thank you for always being there for me..."

**Colorless: **Allen hated the way he was so naturally whitewashed: his silver hair blended seamlessly to his pale skin and his grey eyes where either dulled or overbright in florescent light, no matter how many colors he wore or how hard he tried to sunbathe and tan – he was fifty shades of white in every angle and it was more than a little irritating, especially when he went to the art university and the dorm walls were just as colorless as he was; but then there was Lavi, vibrant Lavi who was a colorful mess of red and orange and green, who saw something in Allen beyond a ghostly shadow: a canvas, fresh and blank and waiting to be filled wholly, completely, with all the colors that would fit... and so Lavi painted on him, brush in hand, palette full of rainbows, and gave him back the colors that had forgotten him.

**Weakness: **He didn't know how long they tortured him, searching for information, threatening his life while interrogating the ever silent Bookman – abuse and illness cut through his awareness, sapping his moments of clarity until he barely knew who he was anymore, or what he did, or what he said... but one moment he did remember, unwillingly waking from a dream of a boy he missed dearly, breathing heavily with the sweat and blood stinging his eye, Sheri smiling at him from a short but blurry distance and Fiidori laughing softly like everything was a joke; Lavi didn't know what he had done, but from the mildly stricken look on Bookman's face it could not have been good, and his hazy fears were confirmed when Fiidori leaned in uncomfortably close to him and whispered in twisted joy: "He is your great weakness, and you are his."

**Frisian: **There was little in this life Lavi cared for, but one, rest his heart, was his breathtaking white Frisian who knew how to dance; called the Crowned Ace to the public but just Allen to him, he had been taught with every ounce of skill and love Lavi had from those first days of his life and there was no manner of creature whom the redhead trusted more; whether astride or all feet to the ground, alone or before a cathedral of hundreds, they were one... dancing in familiar circles, rearing in elegant pride, every stride and bow and skill of his unmatched, marking him as the prince he was, but Allen had no eyes or appeal for the praise of the people he and his Lavi performed for, his every focus rather on all the smallest movements Lavi made in the ring; all laughter and calm and power matching knowledge and wit and silence, and even as their famous dance of horse and human finished and the crowds erupted with cheers, Allen would return to the middle of the ring where Lavi waited, finding his place with a foreleg cocked around Lavi's ankle and nose against the other's shoulder, whickering happily as everything he ever really needed was found in the whisper of Lavi's lips on his cheek and the gentle murmur of: "Well done, my friend."

O-o-o-o-O

_When I can get five more prompts typed up, I'll post more. :3 Much love and thanks! Catch ya later._


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